Council slams ‘neglectful’ landlords who ‘blight the city’

A city council has slammed what it calls ‘neglectful landlords’ as part of an illegal dumping crackdown.

Stoke-on-Trent’s Labour authority has declared enforcement action after - in the words of the council - “landlords continue to blight the city.”

A statement says: “Landlords are reminded they are accountable for waste from their vacant properties, and the appropriate methods should be used to clear rubbish.”

Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for environment and enforcement adds: “We will not tolerate this any further. We know we have private-rental landlords across the city who have multiple properties, and allow them to just become a dumping ground. 

“We also know that a lot of the landlords don’t live in the city. Action and accountability are needed and we will continue to fine neglectful landlords. There is no place for illegal dumping in our towns.”

A vacant property in the area was recently cleared after the owner left illegally dumped waste outside.

The landlord has been issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice.

This comes as the city has pledged to clear a thousand locations across the city in the next 100 days and has sent what it calls a stark warning to people who illegally dump waste. 

In the first week of the zero-tolerance approach, 90 incidents were cleared, rubbish which filled the equivalent of 85 skips.

Wazir adds: “We promised to tackle the issue of illegal dumping and we have started this. Over the first week, we have issued 12 £400 fixed penalty notices and continue to investigate all reports of illegal dumping across the city. We will catch the culprits”

We're excited to announce that we're working on building a shiny new website for readers of Landlord Today! As part of this process, commenting on articles will be temporarily disabled. We look forward to sharing our new and improved Landlord Today website with you shortly!