Rotting rubbish trailer in Lincoln finally removed by council

A trailer full of rotting rubbish that had been abandoned on a Lincoln street for several years has now finally been removed, Lincolnshire County Council has confirmed.

The trailer, described by the county council as a “wooden caravan-like structure” was parked on Ripon Street for many years.

The county council stuck a notice letter to the trailer in March this year, stating it was an obstruction to the highway and needs removed within 28 days, which was not done.

It was later confirmed that the trailer’s owner has died, and the council were still looking to find the deceased’s family before trying to secure a court order.

The council put a fresh notice on the trailer in September requesting its removal, saying if this was not done it may make a complaint to Lincoln Magistrates Court for an order authorising the removal. Various checks were carried out, but unfortunately no next of kin was identified.

Court proceedings were delayed until a hearing on November 19, at which the county council was given approval for the removal of the caravan-like structure.

The council then had to find a contractor and await their availability to remove it before the trailer was successfully taken away on Tuesday, November 30.

The abandoned trailer (left) has been on Ripon Street for up to two years, while there is also a problem of fly-tipping (right) in the area. | Photo: Submitted

Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We’re happy to say that this obstruction has been removed returning the road to the proper state it should be in for local residents.

“We’re aware that this has been an issue for residents for some time but there were many elements of this particular problem that needed to be overcome before we could legally remove the caravan.

“Once approval was granted by the court we worked closely with the City of Lincoln Council to get the caravan removed by their waste management contractors as soon as possible.”

A notice from the county council was stuck to the trailer stating that it needs removed within 28 days, but this was back in March 2021. | Photo: Submitted

A new notice was stuck to the trailer in September 2021. | Photo: Submitted

Concerned resident John Horton, who has lived on Scorer Street all his life, is worried about the state of the local area and was among those calling on the council to take action.

The resident previously told The Lincolnite that fly-tipping is also a problem in the area, saying: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in such a bad way.

“I feel the issue of the ‘caravan like structure’ on Ripon Street exemplifies the lack of council interest in the area, and I can’t help wondering if the local Park Ward councillors are really doing all they could to tackle problems.

“Graffiti and fly-tipping seem out of control, and it feels like every week there is yet more old furniture just dumped on the streets.

“There is a group of volunteers who do sterling work with clear-ups every few weeks, but it seems a losing battle and I sometimes wonder if the offenders might even see it as exonerating or excusing what they do.

“Whilst I admire the sentiment of the various art projects in the area in trying to build a sense of community and belonging, I think we really need more concrete action if we are to halt the decline.”

In response to the problem of fly-tipping in the area, Steve Bird, assistant director for communities and street scene at City of Lincoln Council, previously said: “With regards to fly-tipping, once reported, our teams aim to remove any dumped items on public land promptly, ideally within 48 hours.

“Ripon Street and that general area is subject to a significant amount of fly tipping, which is why we try to check and clear all streets around there at least weekly.

“Any form of fly-tipping can be reported to us online, and we hope that local people will continue to work with us to collect evidence and strengthen our enforcement actions to deter this appalling behaviour.”