Villagers have once again shown their community spirit by blocking in two flytippers, 12 years after they barricaded an illegal traveller camp.
The quick-thinking Warwickshire locals used their cars to stop the vans from unloading waste on Maxstoke Lane on the Packington Estate, near Meriden.
It comes over a decade after residents tried to halt an illegal traveller site by camping on the road for more than 600 days.
The recent blockade, just one mile from their last protest, didn’t last as long with police arriving minutes after a 999 call was made. The police described the incident as “some of the worst flytipping we had seen in a long time.”
On their Facebook page, the police wrote: “We attended the Packington Estate on Maxstone Lane near Meriden to a report of two vans flytipping.”
They added: “On arrival we found some of the worst flytipping we had seen in a long time.” The officers detained two men who were told to reload the vans with all the dumped rubbish.
“We supervised them cleaning up their mess and enjoyed a great cup of tea and slice of home made cake courtesy of the farmer’s wife.”
Two men had to pick up their own rubbish and then lost their vans under the Environmental Act.
A police spokesperson said: “Cleaning up the results of flytipping is the responsibility of the local council and members of the public who discover incidents of fly-tipping should report it to them directly.”
“Officers from the Warwickshire Rural Crime Team also attended the scene and have now taken on the investigation and prosecution case.”
In Meriden, locals are known for dealing with problems themselves. Back in 2011-2012, some residents camped out to stop an illegal traveller camp from growing at the edge of their village.
