Council probe as villagers see red over St Peter's flytipping eyesore in Gainford

Frustrated residents in Gainford are calling for immediate action as flytipping continues to create an “eyesore”.

Illegal waste dumping has been an ongoing issue at the site of the former St Peter’s School since it was partly demolished back in March last year by owners Ruttle Plant Holdings following a fire.
From old tyres to unwanted Tarmac chippings, the site has become a flytipping hotspot. Despite calls from residents for the mess to be cleared, they say it is now starting to look like “a proper rubbish dump” at the entrance to the village. Following the most recent incident, residents took to social media to voice their concerns. Resident David Greenland wrote: “The developers should be made to put hoardings up so we do not have to look at this mess. As more people tip waste here the situation will only get worse.”
Gainford and Langton Parish Council has contacted the site owners to bring the issue to their attention again.
Parish clerk Martin Clark said: “We have seen what has been written on Facebook recently. I have spoken to Ruttle Plant Holdings and made them aware of the situation. They have assured the parish council they will arrange a clear up and think about how best to prevent further tipping.”
Meanwhile, residents are frustrated that despite reports being made to Durham County Council, nothing has been done. Mr Greenland said: “I have reported numerous incidents up and down there. It has happened on and off since it was demolished. There was a pile of Tarmac chippings dropped, old tyres and building rubble waste. Durham County Council has cleared a few of them away but not the last couple of times.”
A pile of waste including furnishings from inside the former borstal still remains on site. Residents say this has been reported as a health and safety hazard but has not yet been removed.
Mr Greenland said: “I think Ruttle could do something to make it look a bit better. If they put a fence around it, it would make it look better and people wouldn’t be tempted to add to that pile.”
Neighbourhood protection manager for Durham County Council Ian Hoult said: “We are aware of the concerns of local residents and are monitoring the property.
“Since the fire last March, our building control officers have visited the site on a number of occasions and carried out inspections.We are in the process of investigating the issue of waste left around the site and will work with the landowner to address these issues.”
Ruttle Plant Holdings confirmed that they are aware of the situation. With regards to the future of the site, negotiations are still underway.
Group commercial manager Barry Young said: “We have only just been notified about this. We will take appropriate action. There have been ongoing applications for a considerable time. For whatever reason, we have not been able to satisfy the local planning authority. It has been amended and amended. It is still ongoing.”