On the morning of August 6 a passer-by noticed that the entrance gate to the empty Thomas Peacocke lower school site on Ferry Road was unlocked and wide open. On further investigation, the reason for this was discovered: large piles of rubbish had been dumped on the site.
The site has remained empty for many years whilst planning permission has been sought by the developer, Plutus (Rye) Ltd, whose latest plans submitted to Rother District Council have yet to be decided on (see Rye News article Ferry Road site update).
The fly-tipped rubbish contained household waste including books, furniture and children's games, and unwanted items from house renovations including a bath, wood and building materials.
Another pile included what appeared to be asbestos strips. Asbestos is extremely dangerous to human health and is expensive to remove and dispose of which is why illegal dumping of it has become a common occurrence.
There was also an area of material that had been burnt, very close to dried undergrowth.
In a statement,, Plutus (Rye) Ltd said: "A local resident called the consultation number yesterday afternoon to inform us of what has happened on the site and we are now in the process of securing the site and will ensure that all fly-tipping is removed as soon as possible. We are grateful for the vigilant local resident letting us know as soon as possible as we were not aware that the site had been broken into."
Rother District Council can only remove fly-tipped waste if it is on the public highway or on their land. It is the responsibility of owners of the land to remove any waste although a council has "the power to require landowners to remove waste which is detrimental to the amenities of a neighbourhood (an eyesore) or prejudicial to health" (https://www.rother.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling/fly-tipping/)
