Hayling residents angered by dumped magazines

The act of fly-tipping on Hayling Island comes as thousands of volunteers geared up to take part in the Great British Spring Clean – a nationwide bid to rid the country of rubbish.

June 2016 copies of The Directory Group’s Hayling Island magazine were found by a disappointed resident more than a week ago.

Seventy-year-old Laurence Alster contacted The Directory Group to let the company know their magazines had been dumped, but after finding they were still there more than a week later, complained to The News.

He said: ‘The items were left on a pathway opposite the entrance to St Catherine’s Road, towards the beach. They’re very visible.

‘I contacted The Directory Group to let them know the magazines had been dumped, and was told they would be removed the next day.

‘I then sent the company a follow-up e-mail on February 28 as the items hadn’t been removed, and still hadn’t as of Friday).

‘The member of staff I received a response from told me they attempted to remove the directories but they couldn’t be reached – but clearly they can.’

‘I think a distributor has dumped the items, but as they are or would have been employed by The Directory Group, it’s the company’s responsibility to arrange removal.

‘This will have annoyed other residents and is also not good for those who paid to advertise in the magazine.’

John Perry, a councillor for Hayling East at Havant Borough Council, agreed with Mr Alster.

He said: ‘I live very near to where the items have been left.

‘If an individual has been employed by a company to deliver flyers, magazines or newspapers, and they are dumped, I believe the company should be responsible for picking them up.

‘This kind of fly-tipping is outrageous.

‘People on Hayling Island are proud of their area and don’t like things being dumped in places they aren’t supposed to be.

‘We really need to clamp down on this kind of littering. Smaller incidents like this are part of a much wider fly-tipping issue, which needs attention.’

When contacted by The News, The Directory Group said it would remove the items.