Residents of a West Yorkshire village denied from doing the right thing when it comes to the environment are continuing to effectively break the law to reduce their carbon footprint.
The Ellar Ghyll tip, which is situated on the outskirts of Menston in Bradford, but lies just inside the Leeds metropolitan district border, has been at the centre of a long running feud over waste disposal.
Leeds City Council, who runs the site, has been turning away non-Leeds residents since 2006, despite the tip being on the majority of Menston residents’ doorsteps and the site having being originally set up in the 1970’s specifically for residents of the village and neighbouring Burley-in-Wharfedale.
Now, if Bradford residents are caught using the site, rules dictate that is it classed as fly-tipping and they could face a £50,000 fine or up to 12 months in prison.
Mr Ashley France, who lived in Menston for six years, but now lives in nearby Baildon, was threatened with arrest in February after attempting to use the site for a family member from the village:
“I went down there and they asked me where I lived. I said I was moving stuff for my father in law who lives in Menston. They told me it was a Leeds tip and the guy said I would basically be arrested if I was planning to tip there. I was obviously angry, but I turned around, I didn’t want to get into any trouble,” he said.
However, he still believes that the rules are worth breaking and knows plenty of people who are:
“But everybody in Menston still goes to Ellar Ghyll."
“Obviously they can’t man the gate 24 hours a day, but even if they do, I know people who will drive past and check. If there isn’t, they’ll use the site. If there is staff there, they’ll go to Rawdon or Guiseley, even though they’re in Leeds. There’s ways around it.”
The nearest legal alternative for residents is of Menston is the recycling centre in Ilkley, a 12 mile round trip compared to the short run to Ellar Ghyll or the neighbouring Guiseley and Rawdon sites.
Mr France believes this is ridiculous:
“My main point with this whole thing is that it’s hypocritical of Leeds City Council. It’s hardly environmentally friendly having to go further to dump your rubbish, and it leaves much more of a carbon footprint. Plus it’s just inconvenient.”
Residents in neighbouring Otley, in Leeds, have been given permits by their council to try and combat Menston residents providing false details to staff to gain access to the tip.
Campaigns from various local councillors and residents to change Leeds City Council’s stance have so far yielded few results and, after two and half years of conflict, there are still no plans to allow Menston residents to officially use the tip.
>> Fly-tipping - is it still a blot on our landscape?
By Paul Bolton
Image: richardpluck
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