Firefighters were called out to a blaze in a Harrogate garden in the early hours of this morning.
The fire was spotted behind a property on Albany Road in Bilton and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called.
A crew from Harrogate responded at 2.58am, and located the 2m x 2m fire, which was fuelled by household waste and a wheelie bin full of rubbish.
The crew extinguished the fire and dampened down the area. No injuries were reported.
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Birstwith home owner left without wheelie bin after dispute
The owner of a new home in Birstwith said he has been left without a wheelie bin for household waste for weeks after moving in.
Sid Evans moved into the West House Gardens development at the beginning of July and discovered there was no wheelie bin with the new home.
He contacted Harrogate Borough Council, but said he was told it would not be possible to deliver a bin for another 12 weeks, in early November.
Mr Evans said:
“That means we aren’t going to have a wheelie bin for over four months.
“According to what I’ve read online, if I reported it damaged or stolen, I would get a new wheelie bin sent out.”
A spokesperson for the council said:
“We would never knowingly leave a new property without a bin. If the resident – and any others that the developer has failed to supply a bin to – gets in touch with our customer services team we will arrange for delivery in the next couple of weeks. Until this time, black bags can be presented for collection.”
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The council said the situation was caused by the developer, Newby, failing to place an order in time:
“It is the developers’ responsibility to arrange and pay for delivery of containers for household waste through the planning phase. We ask developers for a 12-week notice period to allow for production and delivery from the manufacturers, and this should be undertaken in advance of properties being occupied.”
Newby declined to comment on the situation, but the Stray Ferret has seen an email chain which shows bins and recycling boxes and bags for five of the 33 homes were ordered in February.
All of the recycling boxes and bags were delivered, along with two bins, but three bins did not arrive. When Newby chased the remaining bins in July, it was told by the council’s parks and environmental services department that the original order had not been processed and an invoice had never been raised.
The council employee said a new ordering system had been introduced that month and a new order would have to be placed, with a 12-week wait.
Having lived in the Harrogate district for 40 years, Mr Evans said he was frustrated by the situation.
Fly tippers target secluded Ripon site“Whether it’s the builder’s fault or the council’s, I’m not the slightest bit interested.
“I pay council tax and I don’t want to have weeks of waiting for a wheelie bin.”
Council tax payers will have to pick up the removal costs after fly tippers dumped items on a site on the corner of Priest Lane and Stonebridgegate in Ripon.
The secluded area of grass and trees, little more than 100 yards from the city’s police station, has had a sofa and chair and other house clearance-style items deposited on it for some days, and has been reported to Harrogate Borough Council by local residents.
One resident, who did not want to be named, told The Stray Ferret:
“It’s an absolute mess and I just can’t understand the mentality of the person or persons who did this. It looks like somebody has moved house and just couldn’t be bothered to take their unwanted items to the tip.”
They added:
“I’ve reported it to the council and hope that they come and clear the eyesore as quickly as possible – it’s been here for a few days now.”
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A spokesperson for the council said that the tipped items would be removed as soon as possible. He said:
“Fly tipping is a serious criminal offence. We have the power to seize vehicles, issue a fixed penalty notice of £400 or to prosecute. This could result in an unlimited fine and/or up to five years in prison.”
An initiative named Operation Eyeball has been formed to tackle fly tipping in rural parts of North Yorkshire and anybody who witnesses this criminal activity is asked to report it at www.harrogate.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling the council on 01423 500600.