Fly-tippers caught on camera dumping truck loads of rubbish

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter 

Fly-tippers have been caught continuing to leave waste at an infamous Croydon site known as notorious hotspot.

This comes despite the Purley Way site being recently secured before it becomes Croydon’s newest shopping centre.

The fly-tippers were captured on camera dumping a van load of waste outside the gates of the fenced-off site.

The site’s new leaseholder, Koby Yogaretnam, said: “It’s a punch in the stomach when these types of offences continue to take place and we have to foot the bill.”

According to Mr Yogaretnam, the fly-tippers were discovered when one of his neighbours overheard loud noises coming from the site earlier this week.

He turned the corner to find two men dumping a van load of rubbish on to the road leading up to the site before making off in a hurry, all of which he filmed.

Mr Yogaretnam said that bollards have now been installed at the bottom of the road to prevent further fly-tipping.

Following the incident, he investigated the rubbish and found that it largely came from addresses outside Croydon.

Mr Yogaretnam said: “The rubbish came from Tooting and these fly-tippers have obviously seen rubbish piled outside people’s houses, knocked on their doors and said we can get rid of this at a discounted rate.

“Unfortunately, people don’t really know the rules, it’s very unclear.”

Mr Yogaretnam visited the addresses of the rubbish owners in Tooting, but said they were unaware that they were responsible for where the rubbish eventually ended up.

He said: “They were very apologetic but didn’t know they had taken part in illegal activity.”

The site, in Imperial Way, became a fly-tipping hotspot following the closure of a Sports Direct gym on the premises in the summer of 2022. Its position, on the side of a busy dual carriageway, made it a prime spot for domestic and commercial waste dumping.

The site is now under the control of new leaseholders, who have plans to build Croydon’s newest shopping centre. The new plans would see a 40-shop complex built on the site, which would cater primarily for businesses, and have its own parking spaces.

Waddon councillor Rowenna Davis said: “It’s sickening to see criminals dumping their rubbish here, especially when the new leaseholders have spent thousands of pounds cleaning the site up.

“The fact these criminals are masked and driving without number plates means they know they’re breaking the law, so we’re working with the police and Labour MP Sarah Jones to bring them to justice.

“Meanwhile, the Mayor has cut staff that used to specialise in fighting fly-tipping, and he needs to do a whole lot more to keep our borough clean and safe.”

Croydon council was approached for comment, but failed to respond in time for publication.

Pictured top: Fly-tippers were caught on camera dumping waste outside the site earlier this week (Picture: Koby Yogaretnam)