Litter pickers watch driver dump rubbish
Saturday 20th September 2008, 11:29AM BST.
Litter pickers helping to clean up a Shropshire beauty spot watched in astonishment as a motorist who had come for a snack threw a bag of rubbish out of the car window.
The 15 volunteers had spent several hours filing 25 large bags full of litter dropped by visitors to The Wrekin. But they said their actions were marred by the inconsiderate motorist who threw rubbish out of a silver car.
The group had been waiting for the large rubbish collection to be taken away by a waste disposal company.
Pat Hutchings, who formed the Wombles group to tidy up the area, said: “This motorist, who had come for a snack, just dumped the packaging and drinks can straight out of the car window and drove off. It was surreal.”
Volunteers from Little Wenlock and New Works were joined by members of Shropshire Wildlife Trust on the litter pick.
They split into two groups to tread the paths taken by thousands of walkers to the top of the landmark site.
Bottles, cans, cigarette and crisp packets, sweet wrappers, disposable barbecues and even a pair of collapsible stools were collected by the teams.
A stream at the foot of the hill and the nearby car park were tidied up by the volunteers who worked from 10.30am until 4pm recently.
Mrs Hutchings, chairman of Little Wenlock Parish Council, thanked Veolia for volunteering to remove the rubbish. She also praised members of Shropshire Wildlife Trust for helping.
“I can’t understand why people do it. The West Midlands is the most littered place I have ever lived in. People just don’t care,” said the former geography teacher who aims to expand The Wombles group into Wellington and affiliate with Keep Britain Tidy.
Anyone interested in tackling the litter problem in their area should contact Mrs Hutchings on (01952) 505683 or e-mail pathutchings@tiscali.co.uk
By Lisa Rowley
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I hope they were able to take this idiot’s registration number and report him/her.
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Do they sort the rubbish to be recycled or does it get dumped on someone else’s neighbourhood?
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Why? I very much doubt West Mercia Police would be interested in prosecuting them. I think publishing the car reg in the paper would be far more annoying to the offender.
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John Smith: You sound like you are bitter (lol). But seriously, isn’t your proposal the thin end of the vigilante wedge of violence?
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John – I agree that West Mercia Constabulary probably couldn’t care less. However, if it’s reported to T&W Council – they do actually seek to take action against such offenders, and it’s my understanding that they have done so in the past.
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If they saw the driver chuck the litter why did’nt they grab the drivers car keys – and hand him a black bin bag and tell him he could have keys back once he’d filled the black bin bag with rubbish.
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Mark: Thing is, the owner may not have been the driver. If say a mechanic was testing my car and threw litter out, I would be a bit upset if my Reg No was published as I would fear the dog excrement through letter box treatment.
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i expect it is the same in salop but it is coming. in devon we now have three bins a green one for recycling, a small blue one for waste food
and a large grey wheelie bin for non recyclables. we have fortnightly collections for the grey bin and the green recycling. if only they would collect plastic bottles in the green box
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Y Mab: Your suggestion would be assult, but still a good suggestion, one which appeals to me anyway. But wouldn’t have given him the luxury of a bin bag.
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some people make me sick, FINE THEM ALL MORE AND MORE!! I dont care what the daily mail thinks, we need to get tough on the wasteful slobs around here who cost us all millions each year with their unsavoury activities like dumping and not recycling their waste
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these people must be helped to recycle more, not hammered, i would like to see more facilities lik the wonderful battlefield site, all over shropshire, especially nearer the welsh borders, bishops castle and minsterely need a centre for recycling like this too
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Lucy – you hit another nerve. The path up the Wrekin is covered in dog excrement. I applaud the efforts of the volunteers but the authorities also need to get involved to stop dog owners spoiling the area as well – especially the footpath!!
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I agree Dave J – Dog mess up the Wrekin path is uncalled for – surely dog owners could carry a plastic carrier bag to take it home with them.
On the subjects of dogs up the Wrekin – I wish people would keep them on leads – I have a young daughter and when some of the big dogs which are being uncontrolled by the walkers run up to her they nearly knock her over.
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Don’t get me started on dog mess! It’s everywhere. I’ve always had dogs and i have to push a child round in a stroller, but i find it no problem to pick up my dogs poo! Nappy bags are perfect and cheap, they also hide the smell.
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why cant the council do more to hammer these louts, they are soft on crime, just because they dont want negative PR from the Daily Mail they shy away from fining these scumbag litter louts, but I think if you ask the public genuinely they want more enforcement and tougher fines for environmental crimes
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Now you’ve started me on dog poo!!
The short story is this:- I saw a couple throw an empty porn video and their dogs poo in a bag into my field when the bin was 50yrds away!
I was so insensed that I went to the pub all night and a struck-off lawyer told me I had the right to return their rubbish.
So I did just that when I walked home, CD case and dog poo bag, but for some unexplained reason the bag came undone as it went through the letter box.
All the village knows it was me, but these people still dont have the decency to appologise for their dispicable actions.
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Good on you Lucy W. I bet you have a right reputation in your village ;o)
Good to see you stand up for your views and actions
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well done and thank you to the wombels they must be wonderfully kind people to clear up others mess free of charge. thanks to you good folk
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Lucy, I hope you knew who the couple were and where they lived in order to do this…or did you just do it to your local pub!
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the disgusting nature of homo sapien, only becomes apparent when one has cleaned out a communal male toilet for a week or so, are we suprised that these men, lets face it they would be men wouldnt they, have dumped on the countryside, i am not, the human being is rotten to the core, they are like pigs, the live and root in their own mess, and let others pick it up for them,
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Hang the dirty litter bugs now, bring back corporal punishment for them atleast, a public flogging would stop them reoffending, the saudis have the right idea
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cleaner – thats a very sexist comment and for your information the amount of landill rubbish created is 70 – 30 in favour of men to woman.
ie Just thinking of all the countless woman magazines which are thrown away each week.
not accounting for makeup packaging etc etc etc
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dog poo should be seen as the same level of crime as toxic dumping of waste, it is poisoness etc so should have the same penalties, including jail attached to it
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Thankyou Y Mab, all I can say is I dont get any litter or dumping near me anymore!
Some people would report the littering to the council – what a waste of time! Take direct action, the law is on your side!
Morgan: I wasn’t that drunk! Of course I knew who the people were – surley you didn’t think I chose a random house?
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