Highland Council asked to act as Inverness green space marred by fly-tipping and the dumping of nine burnt-out cars
Nine burnt-out cars have been dumped and left to rust in a popular Inverness green space.
Concerned local residents and walkers say they have reported the eyesore near Torvean Park to Highland Council but are still waiting for action after a matter of weeks.
The area near Torvean Quarry, between the park and the Caledonian Canal, is used by walkers, cyclists and dirt-bikers who have formed well-used tracks in the area.
Complainers say there is a long history of fly-tipping in the area, with concrete barriers on the track leading from the site to the A82/Glenurquhart Road proving ineffective in deterring culprits.
One resident, Dylan Stewart of Kinmylies, got in touch to voice his frustration at the lack of council action.
He said: “Whoever has done this has left it looking like a landfill site.
“There are large amounts of rubbish and nine burnt-out cars dumped on the site.
“The track, which has three concrete barriers in place to stop vehicles from entering, has failed to prevent the illegal dumping.
“Truck loads of rubbish have been left, and all nine cars have been set on fire since being dumped.
“The Highland Council has been informed but, so far, no action has been taken to remove the cars or clean up the rubbish.”
Another local man and woman, who regularly pick up litter in the area, told Mr Stewart they had reported the issue to the council four times.
He continued: “Each time, more rubbish appeared, but the council has done nothing to resolve the problem.
“They said it seems like every time they tell them, more rubbish gets dumped – and still, nothing is done.”
Mr Stewart added: “Walkers and dirt bikers who frequent the area have been left wondering when the council will finally secure the site properly, stop the illegal dumping, and begin cleaning it up.”
A Highland Council spokeswoman was unable to confirm whether or not the council’s environmental health team had received the complaints.
But she said: “The Council will investigate reports of abandoned vehicles under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978.
“It must be noted that the environmental health team prioritises their resources based on a number of factors, including public health, public safety, environmental risk and statutory responsibilities.
“Officers will assess incoming service requests against these factors and their and other officer’s availability for investigations.
“All reports of abandoned vehicles are followed up by the team but priority is given to vehicles with a clear safety risk, e.g. burnt out or vandalised.
“Officers will explain to complainants that the process can take time to complete i.e. to ensure adequate steps are taken to trace the owner, statutory notice periods are followed and the time involved with practical arrangements of visiting the site location and the availability and arrangements on uplifting the vehicles, if required.
“In many cases reports of vehicles that the complainant feels are abandoned are found not to be abandoned when investigated.
“These are often referred to as nuisance vehicles. This may include: vehicles poorly parked, vehicles under repair, vehicles causing obstruction, vehicles broken down and untaxed vehicles.
“Information on when and how to report an abandoned vehicle can be found on the Council’s website.”
