Correspondence: Persistent Fly-Tipping in Southall

To: FiedlerN@ealing.gov.uk · bcc: Mini

Dear Ealing Council Environmental Services / Street Care & Enforcement Team,

I am writing as a resident of Southall Green ward to raise a formal complaint regarding the persistent and worsening fly-tipping problem in Southall, and to request both information and immediate action.

Fly-tipping in Southall Green has now reached epidemic levels. Multiple locations, particularly along public pavements and at known hotspots such as The Green (junction with Osterley Park Road), are being repeatedly used as informal dumping grounds and de facto refuse collection points. In many cases, this appears to involve commercial waste.

This ongoing situation is creating significant environmental, public health, and visual amenity concerns for residents. Despite the regularity and visibility of these incidents, there appears to be little effective enforcement or measures to address the issue. Several of these hotspots fall within clear range of council-operated CCTV cameras, yet there is no evident deterrence or follow-up action. The problem has persisted for many years and continues on a near-daily basis.

There is also a growing perception among residents that certain locations are being implicitly tolerated as commercial waste storage or collection points on public land. If accurate, this raises serious concerns about fairness, enforcement consistency, and the appropriate use of public space.

To better understand and address this issue, I request the following information and actions:

1. Ward-level data for Southall Green covering the past 24 months, including: the number of fly-tipping incidents reported, average clearance times, Fixed Penalty Notices issued, and prosecutions undertaken.
2. Details on CCTV usage and effectiveness in the ward; specifically, how many incidents near known camera locations have been investigated using footage, and any operational or legal barriers to its use for enforcement.
3. Records of enforcement actions taken against businesses in Southall for improper waste storage, illegal dumping, or misuse of public pavements.
4. Confirmation as to whether any unofficial or "tolerated" waste collection points (outside of authorised commercial waste arrangements) exist on public land within the borough. A number of the potential sites in question are locations where black bags sealed with thefirstmile.co.uk labels are regularly left alongside other unidentified fly-tipped waste.
5. A list of any locations within the borough where the council has formally agreed or authorised businesses to leave commercial waste on public land for collection, including the terms and conditions governing such arrangements.
6. Clarification on how mixed fly-tipping sites are handled — particularly where waste includes both identifiable commercial refuse (e.g. First Mile-labelled sacks) and unidentifiable or loose waste. Specifically: does the contracted collector remove all waste present, or is the remaining material left for council clearance?
7. Details of the regulations and enforcement approach relating to businesses that use private waste contractors, including their duty-of-care obligations, requirements for proper storage and handover of waste, and how the council verifies compliance.
8. A breakdown of businesses in Southall (or, if ward-level data is unavailable, across the borough) that have commercial waste collection arrangements in place, whether with the council or via private contractors. Where full disclosure is not possible, please provide aggregated data and/or the methodology the council uses to monitor compliance with commercial waste obligations.
9. A commitment to targeted intervention at the worst-affected locations, including consideration of deployable CCTV, increased enforcement patrols, and dedicated clean-up or monitoring teams.
10. Details of any studies, internal reviews, or analytical work undertaken by the council to understand the causes behind the apparent increase in fly-tipping in recent years, including any identified drivers (e.g. commercial activity, service changes, enforcement capacity) and planned mitigation strategies.

Given the scale and persistence of this issue, I would appreciate a substantive response within 10 working days. Please also provide the name and contact details of the officer responsible for overseeing this matter.

I am able to supply supporting photographic evidence (one attached). In parallel, I am submitting a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations for the data outlined above.

Attachment: IMG_0595 2.MOV

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

To: mckenziE@ealing.gov.uk

Dear Ealing Council Environmental Services / Street Care & Enforcement Team,

I am writing as a resident of Southall Green ward to raise a formal complaint regarding the persistent and worsening fly-tipping problem in Southall, and to request both information and immediate action.

Fly-tipping in Southall Green has now reached epidemic levels. Multiple locations, particularly along public pavements and at known hotspots such as The Green (junction with Osterley Park Road), are being repeatedly used as informal dumping grounds and de facto refuse collection points. In many cases, this appears to involve commercial waste.

This ongoing situation is creating significant environmental, public health, and visual amenity concerns for residents. Despite the regularity and visibility of these incidents, there appears to be little effective enforcement or measures to address the issue. Several of these hotspots fall within clear range of council-operated CCTV cameras, yet there is no evident deterrence or follow-up action. The problem has persisted for many years and continues on a near-daily basis.

There is also a growing perception among residents that certain locations are being implicitly tolerated as commercial waste storage or collection points on public land. If accurate, this raises serious concerns about fairness, enforcement consistency, and the appropriate use of public space.

To better understand and address this issue, I request the following information and actions:

1. Ward-level data for Southall Green covering the past 24 months, including: the number of fly-tipping incidents reported, average clearance times, Fixed Penalty Notices issued, and prosecutions undertaken.
2. Details on CCTV usage and effectiveness in the ward; specifically, how many incidents near known camera locations have been investigated using footage, and any operational or legal barriers to its use for enforcement.
3. Records of enforcement actions taken against businesses in Southall for improper waste storage, illegal dumping, or misuse of public pavements.
4. Confirmation as to whether any unofficial or "tolerated" waste collection points (outside of authorised commercial waste arrangements) exist on public land within the borough. A number of the potential sites in question are locations where black bags sealed with thefirstmile.co.uk labels are regularly left alongside other unidentified fly-tipped waste.
5. A list of any locations within the borough where the council has formally agreed or authorised businesses to leave commercial waste on public land for collection, including the terms and conditions governing such arrangements.
6. Clarification on how mixed fly-tipping sites are handled — particularly where waste includes both identifiable commercial refuse (e.g. First Mile-labelled sacks) and unidentifiable or loose waste. Specifically: does the contracted collector remove all waste present, or is the remaining material left for council clearance?
7. Details of the regulations and enforcement approach relating to businesses that use private waste contractors, including their duty-of-care obligations, requirements for proper storage and handover of waste, and how the council verifies compliance.
8. A breakdown of businesses in Southall (or, if ward-level data is unavailable, across the borough) that have commercial waste collection arrangements in place, whether with the council or via private contractors. Where full disclosure is not possible, please provide aggregated data and/or the methodology the council uses to monitor compliance with commercial waste obligations.
9. A commitment to targeted intervention at the worst-affected locations, including consideration of deployable CCTV, increased enforcement patrols, and dedicated clean-up or monitoring teams.
10. Details of any studies, internal reviews, or analytical work undertaken by the council to understand the causes behind the apparent increase in fly-tipping in recent years, including any identified drivers (e.g. commercial activity, service changes, enforcement capacity) and planned mitigation strategies.

Given the scale and persistence of this issue, I would appreciate a substantive response within 10 working days. Please also provide the name and contact details of the officer responsible for overseeing this matter.

I am able to supply supporting photographic evidence (one attached). In parallel, I am submitting a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations for the data outlined above.

Attachment: IMG_0595 2.MOV

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

To: singto@ealing.gov.uk (Mr Singh)

I am writing to formally raise concerns regarding the council's failure to respond substantively to correspondence I have been pursuing since 12 May 2026.

On 12 May 2026, I contacted Ms Nicky Fiedler (FiedlerN@ealing.gov.uk). I received a response indicating she was unavailable due to personal reasons; however, no alternative contact was provided.

I then contacted Mr Earl McKenzie on 13 May 2026 (mckenziE@ealing.gov.uk). No acknowledgment or response was received.

Yours sincerely,

To: Catherina Pack (PackC@ealing.gov.uk)

Dear Ms Pack,

I have made many attempts to raise this matter with the council but have been unable to obtain any substantive response.

Given your role as Head of Street Care and Waste Management, I would be grateful if you could review the issues raised and provide a direct and substantive response as a matter of urgency.

Yours sincerely, (Resident of Southall Green)

To: Catherina Pack (PackC@ealing.gov.uk)

Dear Ms Pack,

Thank you for your response and for confirming that parts of my request have been logged under FOI reference 26-0864.

However, a number of the issues raised in my original and subsequent correspondence are not Freedom of Information requests, but operational, service, and policy matters that require a direct response.

I would therefore appreciate a full and substantive reply addressing the above points.

Yours sincerely,

To: Catherina Pack (PackC@ealing.gov.uk)

Dear Ms Pack,

Thank you for your response of 11 June 2026 and for acknowledging the earlier issues with the handling of my correspondence.

I appreciate the information you provided about the council's wider initiatives to tackle fly-tipping and the confirmation that Southall Green remains a priority area. However, a number of my original non-FOI questions remain unanswered. I would therefore be grateful if you could provide a response to the following outstanding points:

1. Is the council aware of the existence of persistent fly-tipping sites on public land that have existed for many years, some of which appear to be used by businesses?
2. What measures does the council take when it becomes aware of locations that are being used persistently as fly-tipping hubs by residents and/or businesses over a long period of time?
3. In particular, the site at The Green, at the junction with Osterley Park Road, has been a significant hotspot for many years. Given that it is in plain view of council CCTV cameras, why has the council failed to eradicate this problem?
4. Has the council formally or informally authorised any businesses to leave commercial waste on public land for collection? If so, please provide the locations and the terms and conditions that apply.
5. How are mixed fly-tipping sites dealt with in practice where identifiable commercial waste (for example, First Mile-labelled sacks) is left alongside unidentifiable waste? Is the contracted collector required to remove all of the waste present, or only the waste attributable to them?
6. How does the council verify that businesses using private waste contractors are complying with their duty-of-care obligations, and what proactive monitoring is carried out?
7. Beyond the borough-wide initiatives mentioned in your response, what specific actions will be taken at the worst-affected hotspots in Southall Green, particularly at locations such as The Green/Osterley Park Road junction?
8. Has the council carried out any internal studies, reviews, or analysis to understand the reasons behind the apparent increase in fly-tipping in recent years? If so, please summarise the findings and explain what actions have been taken as a result.

As Southall Green has been identified as a priority area for targeted intervention, it would also be helpful to understand how success will be measured.

I would also appreciate clarification on who currently has operational responsibility for street cleansing and fly-tipping services following the departure of Mr Earl McKenzie.

I look forward to receiving a full response to these outstanding matters.

Yours sincerely,