Romsey-based Wathen Marine Catering Equipment Services has been left counting the cost of a fourth incident of fly-tipping at its headquarters within 18 months.
MD Ieuan Wathen was alerted to the latest dumping on 28 March, and he detailed: “This has happened before. Many of the businesses in the area now lock their 700 to 1,000L bins, as these have been filled many times by fly tippers. Other businesses in the area have had items dumped on their land. This is the fourth time this has happened to us over an 18 month period.”
This time, four mattresses, three bed bases, draws and bedside tables were illegally discarded in the dealer’s car park, and as a private landowner, it fell to Wathen Marine Catering Equipment Services to safely dispose of the waste and pay any costs.
Wathen told local news outlet, the Romsey Advertiser: “It has cost my business undue money to get rid of the items, especially in Covid times, and because the mattresses are soiled I had to pay extra, so it is going to be £400.”
He subsequently confirmed to Catering Insight: “We work with a local waste company, Ace Liftaway, who were very supportive and rushed through the collection.”
However, he is hopeful of catching the offenders and recouping the costs, revealing: “We have CCTV footage that can identify the culprits. This has been shared with the local district council (Test Valley Borough Council) who have a dedicated team to track down these culprits.
“In this case the vehicle we were able to identify to them was already known to them, so we are hoping for a positive outcome.”
