Newport Scouts face bill after fly-tippers dump tyres outside hut again!
A NEWPORT scout group has had more than 50 car tyres illegally dumped outside their scout hut for the second time in the last 18 months.
The 25th Newport Scouts, who are based in Malpas, first had tyres dumped on their land around a year and a half ago, and have now become victims again, after chairman of the group Steve Richards went to the hut on the morning of July 21 to be greeted with stacks of unwanted tyres.
The tyres are both a fire hazard and a health hazard as dumped tyres regularly make homes for mosquitos and rats.
But because tyres don’t biodegrade and release dangerous chemicals when they are burnt, they have to be disposed of very specifically, which can be both difficult and costly.
The costs of professional and legitimate disposal can be anywhere between 80p and £1.20 per tyre, a cost which the scouts would have to pay if they wanted to get them moved.
Mr Richards said: “I came down on the Saturday morning to get some things from the hut and was just greeted by piles of tyres.
“We are just off the main road, out of sight, so I guess whoever did it thought it was a good place.
“What has become apparent to us as a group is that we are going to have to invest some of our limited funds in installing a video surveillance system to try and discourage this kind of attack in future.
“The shame of that is that it takes away funds from providing Activities and resources fromthe children in our group".
“The adults in our group have tidied away the tyres to one side so that we can use the car park and lessen what is an unsightly toxic mess.”
The scouts have been in contact with the Environment Agency in the hope they will be removed for them.
UPDATE
Within hours of The Argus publishing an article and photograph of our plight of having tyres dumped on us
The Cavalry came riding over the hill.
The Cavalry in the form of a a local firm who specialise in these materials, and who prefer to stay annonymous, got in touch to say they have seen the mess and will come around to clear it up. And true to their word were at the hut today to take away this toxic mess.
A big THANK YOU to them and The Argus for their support.
We now need to look at ways to protect ourselves from it happening again.
We now need to look at ways to protect ourselves from it happening again.
Steve Richards (25th Chairman)
