Portsmouth residents face 'nightmare' fly-tippers who have left empty North End supermarket in a 'disgraceful' state

‘DISGRACEFUL’ fly-tippers have turned a former North End supermarket into a rubbish tip – and residents have had enough of the ‘nightmare’.

By Richard Lemmer

Published 24th Aug 2021, 13:32 BST

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The former Kwik Save supermarket in Stubbington Avenue has been derelict for more than a decade – and it has proven to be an attractive site for fly-tippers.

The last month has seen sofas, mattresses, old underwear, broken fridge freezers, and dozens of bin bags strewn across the entrance of the site, right next to the public footpath.

Now nearby residents are reporting that fly-tippers have begun to dump rubbish on their properties.

North End residents are fed up with persistent fly-tipping on the site of a former supermarket.

North End residents are fed up with persistent fly-tipping on the site of a former supermarket.

Josh Williams, who has lived next to the site since 2015, said he has repeatedly reported the problem to the council.

The 28-year-old said: ‘We have reported it so many times.

‘The council said they cannot do anything about it. They can only clear it if it blocks the pathway.

‘It’s a nightmare. As soon as it’s cleared, something else appears.

Bin bags, broken freezer units, and old sofas are among the rubbish left strewn across the site.

Bin bags, broken freezer units, and old sofas are among the rubbish left strewn across the site.

‘There’s been mattresses, fridge freezers – all sorts.

‘We have had a bin full of plastic bags full of cat food and all sorts dumped in our drive.

‘We’re sick of it.’

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Councillors say the problem may not be easily solved with it occurring on private land.

Councillors say the problem may not be easily solved with it occurring on private land.

The state of the site was ‘disgraceful’, according to Councillor Scott Payter-Harris – but he warned that council action was limited as the supermarket remains private land.

The Hilsea ward representative said: ‘The problem we have with that one is because it’s private, we don’t own the land.

‘But (the owner) should be keeping the site lean and safe. If that’s not happening the council needs to intervene, because at the moment, it’s not acceptable.’

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The councillor pointed to the local authority successfully applying pressure to a private land owner in a nearby incident, with fly-tippers filling a private parking space off London Road with huge amounts of rubbish before it was cleared earlier this year.

Cllr Payter-Harris said: ‘That’s a good example. if the council can put pressure on the owner there, I would like to hope they can put the same approach here.

‘Residents who have had stuff dumped on their driveway should report that to the council and give a statement to the council.

‘The issue with the Kwik Save is a bit more complicated, but I’d still advise them to report it and report it to their ward councillors because we’re happy to press this matter on their behalf.’

Cllr Payter-Harris said he would pursue the matter with council staff to see if the owner of the site could be contacted about the issue.

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