Banned from rubbish tip

From the archive, first published Friday 13th Apr 2007.

A PENSIONER has been banned from tips across Southend - for dropping off too much rubbish.

Tony Larman, 74, of Thorpe Esplanade, Thorpe Bay, visits the town's tip in Stock Road about once a week to get rid of his garden waste.

When he can, he also clears up flytipped rubbish from a neighbouring property and takes it to the site.

Now workers for Cory Environmental, which handles Southend Council's waste management, have told him he can no longer take his waste to Stock Road.

The company said an investigation was under way to see if Mr Larman was using the tip for commercial purposes

- because he had been bringing so much waste each week.

Commercial waste must be paid for when it is dumped.

Mr Larman is retired and recovering from a heart attack and insists there is no way he would dump rubbish for a living.

He said: "I've got arthritis in my arm, I suffer from angina and am recovering from a heart attack.

"Do they really think I'm going to take rubbish to the tip to try and make a living? There is a vacant plot next to my house where people flytip rubbish. There was an old mattress there and a couple of tyres, which I picked up and took to the tip.

"Mostly, I just use it to take the grass I cut from my lawn. It's quite a big garden, so there's a fair amount of waste. But I only go to the tip once a week in my little Ford Focus. I'm not capable of taking that much rubbish there."

Mr Larman said one reason the problem may have arisen was because the council knew he owned two other properties and suspected he dumped rubbish from these as well.

But he added: "I never take rubbish from those homes.

"After I was told I couldn't use the tip in Southend, I went to the one in Leigh. The chap there had my details and even had my picture.

"They said I had been banned from that tip as well."

Lynne Cure, from Cory Environmental, confirmed Mr Larman had been temporarily banned while the company examined his status.

She said: "We are investigating if trade waste is being brought to the site. If it is, it would have to be paid for. It cannot be disposed of at a public site."

Ann Holland, Southend councillor responsible for waste disposal, said: "I'm sure the people at Cory were being diligent and trying to make sure the taxpayer's money isn't being wasted.

"If there was a mistake, then we are sorry."