One person who is concerned about the fly-tipping described the area has having ‘hotspots’
Concerns have been raised about a “repeated” fly-tipping problem in Cambridge suburbs. Mattresses and other furniture items were dumped at the back of a bus stop in Buchan Street, Kings Hedges earlier this week.
The site has been described as a “hotspot” by Mahfuj Ahmed, who is a Conservative candidate running to be a councillor for Kings Hedge. Mahfuj goes out daily and finds fly-tips around Chesterton and Arbury, and he finds it “upsetting”.
He added: “I go out everyday and it’s terrible. I report it, it’s gone and then there’s more. It’s not only Buchan Street, there are other hotspots. It’s especially a problem for kids and parents. When you take the kids out and you see it’s not tidy, it’s concerning.
“You don’t want to take your kids out to a mess.” Mahfuj wants to see more done to tackle the problem.
He added: “The problem is around that area [Buchan Street] there is a corner. So people might think they can just chuck it there. We want to make sure that it doesn’t happen and also find out the reason why people are doing it.”
Other residents have raised concerns about fly-tipping in the area. Bruno Von Janowski believes the response to fly-tipping incidents is “slow”. He added: “The council are notified, but they are often slow in removing articles left on the pavement.”
Alex Harris said Buchan Street side streets and also at Pulley Park is “pretty bad” for fly-tipping. He added: “But, to give the council their dues, they come to collect within two days of me reporting it.”
Nathan Duell, who lives on Campkin Road, said: “There is so much fly tipping [around here]. It just gets left for weeks and it’s disgusting. I’m the only person who reports it and there’s no consequence for it. It just keeps getting worse.”
Cambridge City Council oversees removal of fly-tips in the area. On the fly-tipping in Buchan Street, a council spokesperson said: “The fly-tip pictured in the Buchan Street area was reported to us on April 19 and cleared on April 20.
“We had a subsequent fly-tip reported on April 23 which was cleared on April 24, and another was reported on April 26 at 5.45pm, which is being cleared this week.”
When a fly-tip is reported, the council will take enforcement action. The spokesperson added: “We investigate reports of fly-tipping, and seek to take enforcement action against offenders.
“You can face a fixed penalty notice of £400 for fly-tipping, or the court can impose an unlimited fine. This is also the case if somebody else fly-tips waste on your behalf. Find out more about how to dispose of household waste correctly, what constitutes fly-tipping – and report suspected fly-tipping – on Cambridge City Council’s website.”
The other candidates running for the King’s Hedges ward alongside Mahfuj Ahmed are below:
- Zarina Anwar – Independent
- Eleanor Cooke – Independent
- David Michael Creek – Liberal Democrats
- John McKay – Reform UK
- Daniel Quinn – Green
- Martin Andrew Smart – Labour

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