PROMISES to clean up Barnsley’s worst-hit ward for fly-tipping have failed to come to fruition - sparking a fresh call from a fed-up councillor who has urged immediate action to be taken due to yet more incidents.
Kingstone is officially the town’s worst area for recorded waste with Blenheim Road, St George’s Road, Castle Street and Day Street all appearing in the top ten list of Barnsley’s blackspots.
Councillor Steve Bullcock, having undertaken his ward inspection last weekend, identified more than 20 incidents - a number which ‘is not unusual’, he said.
One area, Keir Street, had the worst fly-tipping Coun Bullcock had seen in seven years of reporting matters to the council.
“That’s a bold statement but it gives you a feel as to how bad it’s got in Kingstone,” he added.
“I urge the new council leadership to look for sustainable improvements - clearing it up is one thing but without investigations and subsequent consequences felt by the offenders, it will just keep coming back.
“We’ve vermin in our streets’ backings, our properties are being devalued, it’s costing a fortune to remove and it’s simply to the detriment of our town.
“The perpetrators of these environmental crimes know full well what they are doing is unacceptable - residents across Barnsley have had enough and they want action.
“Barnsley Council can and will fine, prosecute and even seize vehicles if they’ve got sufficient evidence but the conviction rates aren’t high enough.
“The ‘Everybody Think’ campaign was well-intentioned and the ‘Love Where You Live’ initiative is great but the bottom line is the problem continues with no sign of slowing down.
“If you live near Keir Street and saw or heard anything, even a van type or time, please do report it.
“The council’s investigating officers are keen to follow up confidentiality when leads are provided.
“We simply cannot continue as we are - if we are going to stop the systematic destruction of our communities, we need information and a determination from all to get involved in outing the perpetrators.”
Coun Bullcock has been campaigning for tougher fines for those found responsible after just 32 people were handed fixed penalty notices last year, despite almost 6,000 reports of fly-tipping being logged.
According to data from Barnsley Council, a total of 5,932 reports were logged in 2024/25 - higher than the previous year’s 5,220 and more than any annual total since 2015/16.
The cost of collecting and disposing of illegally-dumped waste rose sharply to £429,397 during the same period, an increase of more than £130,000 on the previous year.
In contrast, the council recorded its lowest fly-tipping spend of the past decade in 2022/23, when £276,045 was spent dealing with 4,597 reports.
Coun Bullcock said: “Our council and the judiciary have also responded favourably by investigating and imposing large fines against identified perpetrators in a serious attempt to win this battle and make our town cleaner and more desirable for residents and visitors alike.
“This is welcomed - we have heard stories of vehicles involved in fly-tipping being crushed.
“But what is being done about Mr X, who decides to walk out of his front door and fly-tips a bag of domestic waste in the nearest backings?
“No point in crushing his car he didn’t use one, he simply walked out of the front door.
“For example, we in Kingstone do not suffer with fly-tipped waste from a new bathroom or building project.
“It is the worst kind of fly-tipping: bags of toxic, rotting food waste, the type that feeds and attracts vermin.
“Looking at the council’s own statistics, the number of incidents are certainly not coming down.
“For example, in Kingstone alone the numbers are travelling in the opposite direction and are sadly increasing.
“Our council needs to establish why fly-tipping continues to flourish.”
