Street signs have been seen dumped near a public space in Wokingham.
Unused signs for Frankin Drive were spotted dumped alongside bricks and other building rubble behind Ashridge Farm off Bell Foundry Lane.
Peter Humphreys showed evidence of this flytipping to councillors at a full meeting of Wokingham Borough Council.
He said: “We often read reports of fly-tipping in the borough and council officers diligently picking through it to find evidence of those responsible.
“However, the culprit is often staring them in the face and much like the ‘elephant in the room’ is overlooked.
“My photos show a pile of discarded road name signs with the words Wokingham Borough Council and official crest clearly emblazoned on them, together with various abandoned building materials.
“This fly-tipping is only a few metres from a children’s playground and potentially dangerous if kids climb on the debris.
“This has a negative impact on children who will think it’s ok to throw rubbish in public places if the council are doing it.
“I should add that residents have been living in Franklin Drive for a couple of years and the road has signage for a similar period of time, so this is not a temporary store area. The nearby Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) also has fly-tipping, including an abandoned chemical toile,t which appears to be associated with the tree planting carried out there to meet the council’s environmental targets.
“Why does the council condone fly-tipping by parties associated with it?”
His question was answered by Katrin Harding, the executive member for the environment.
Cllr Harding (Liberal Democrats, Thames) said: “The council does not condone flytipping in any way, shape or form and we will always act on any reports of flytipping, to clean up our borough and to seek evidence to support the most appropriate legal action.
“On this occasion, we have investigated your report and established that the items are on private land owned by a developer. In accordance with this, we are liaising with them to get the items removed and ensure the area is kept clean and tidy for the enjoyment of local residents and users of the play area.”
Mr Humphreys queried her statement that the land is private as the space is accessible to the public.
He said: “I am glad to hear you are not condoning it [flytipping], but it does give a bad image of the Borough. Since I submitted my question there is even more rubbish. How long does it take to get this actually cleared?”
Cllr Harding clarified that even if the land is publicly accessible, it is still private and the waste would have to be cleared by the landowner.
The exchange took place at the full council meeting on July 31.
