We live next to a mountain of charred rubbish – fly-tippers dump sofas and fridges on our
A group of Travellers say their council is refusing to removed a mountain of rubbish dumped near their homes by fly-tippers… because of who they are.
Charred mattresses, sofas and fridges can be seen surrounding the caravans at the Long Acre View site in Sheffield, which a local MP has branded a ‘disgrace’.
Residents of the site say local officials have refused to do anything about the issue, which has blighted the area for more than a year, because they are Travellers.
Those living there say there have been fires on the site on at least 30 different days over the past four months, with bundles of industrial cable thrown onto the flames each time.
And the piles of waste found across the site – one of two traveller accommodation plots in the city – continue to build up into mounds measuring nearly two metres tall across the site.
Charred mattresses, sofas and fridges can be seen surrounding the caravans at the Long Acre View site in Sheffield
Residents of the site say local officials have refused to do anything about the issue, which has blighted the area for more than a year, because they are Travellers
The piles of waste found across the site – one of two traveller accommodation plots in the city – continue to build up into mounds measuring nearly two metres tall across the site
One resident – who did not want to be identified – said: ‘You wouldn’t believe the smoke that goes up. It’s every night.
‘I don’t bother to come out anymore because of the smell.
‘It used to have a gate on the site, but they’ve taken the gate off and now people think this is a dumping ground.
‘They treat it like the local tip. They drive in, they dump it anywhere and no one does anything about it.’
Sheffield’s Gypsy and Traveller population is around 340 people – 100 households – who live on two long-term sites in Halfway and Lodge Acre.
Long Acre View as a total of 14 pitches, which have now been surrounded in the charcoaled remains of a number of household items.
Another resident – also speaking on the condition of anonymity – said: ‘It’s our own personal nightmare.
‘We travellers are all tarred with the same brush and all everyone around us sees is the fires, and think we are all responsible, that we don’t care about where we live.
‘But I’m proud of where I live. It didn’t used to be like this. It was a lovely community where children played outside. I want it to stop.
‘The fires are so thick and bad that everything is sticky. Everything stinks or is destroyed by smoke damage.
‘And these are grown men who will threaten to attack you, to set fire to you and your home, if you tell them to stop.
‘There are rats everywhere now when there didn’t used to be.’
Long Acre View as a total of 14 pitches, which have now been surrounded in the charcoaled remains of a number of household items
Those living there say there have been fires on the site on at least 30 different days over the past four months
Despite months of reporting it to local authorities, the resident says Sheffield City Council, police and fire services are ‘looking the other way’.
The resident added: ‘I think it’s because we’re Travellers. They’re ignoring it because it’s “their” problem.
‘Do officials not even want to investigate where the reels of cables are coming from?
‘It makes you feel so completely deserted.
‘The police are in denial, the fire service is in denial, the council has washed their hands of it. It’s so frustrating to live with it and there’s so much evidence.
‘It would be solved overnight if the police and council did their jobs.’
Labour MP for Sheffield South East Clive Betts said he had visited the site and called it ‘an absolute disgrace’.
He said: ‘I was appalled at what I saw and have made complaints to the council, fire service and the police.
‘I’ve spoken to [the resident] and they’re very sensible, takes great pride in their home and has every right to be concerned about the state they and neighbours have been forced to live in.
‘I can’t prove they (who are burning the waste) are running a business out of this but they are arranging the burning of cables every other night.
‘It seems they are a repository for cables – cables coming from where, I might ask.
‘I was very angry when I left the site. I’ll be taking my complaints to the council’s chief executive.’
A labour MP said he had visited the site and called it ‘an absolute disgrace’.
Those living there say there has been fires on the site on at least 30 different days over the past four months, with bundles of industrial cable thrown onto the flames each time.
Councillor Douglas Johnson, Chair of the Housing Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: ‘We want every person in Sheffield to live in a neighbourhood where they feel safe, secure, and part of a thriving community.
‘This includes Long Acre View, which the council has no plans to close.
‘We are looking into the concerns and frustrations of the residents of Long Acre View and are working with police and fire services to tackle this ongoing situation.
‘If anyone has any more information they can pass on to ourselves, the police or fire service to help us stop these incidents, we urge you to do so. Any help our local communities can offer is greatly appreciated.’
Meanwhile, a fire service spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm the fire service has responded to several incidents at this site.
‘We are continuing to support our partners and the longer term, multi-agency response to the reported issues.’
South Yorkshire Police have been contacted for a comment.