Councillor issues warning about false information that led to spate of fly-tipping
Reporter: Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
Date published: 25 September 2025

Fly-tipping on Abbey Hills Road. Image courtesy of Cllr Shaid Mushtaq
A councillor has issued an urgent warning to residents in Alexandra after mounds of rubbish were left on back streets.
Councillor Shaid Mushtaq posted a video addressing people on Abbey Hills Road, after misinformation was circulated in community groups that the council would come and collect any waste left out on the road.
Coun Mushtaq, the representative for Alexandra Ward, said: “I’ve had reports that residents have been informed to leave all their rubbish on the road and it’ll be collected by the council.
“This is not true. Please do not leave rubbish on the road or anywhere else for that matter.
“If you’ve got rubbish take it to the tip or if it’s bin day put it in your bins.
"Do not leave rubbish out here, it’s fly-tipping.
“It’s a huge mess and it goes all the way down to the bottom.
"This is not how I operate or how the council operates.”
Pictures show the streets piled high with household waste in bin bags, along with discarded soft furnishings, and bulky waste like microwaves, fans and ironing boards.
The mess has left some locals ‘disgusted’ and ‘worried about rats and health hazards’.
Others have called for the council to put signs up on the walls of streets affected, worrying the video might not reach the perpetrators.
The appeal comes as the borough has been hit by an ongoing plague of fly-tipping across the entire borough in recent months.
Fly-tipping is illegal and punishable by a fine of up to £1,000. Cases of fly-tipping can be reported to the council’s environmental department.
Report fly-tipping by clicking here
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