The UK neighbourhood that’s become a shocking ‘dumping ground’ for fly-tippers

In North Ormesby, discarded fridges, televisions, and suitcases litter the streets, giving the neighborhood an unmistakable “dumping ground” feel, according to one .

Fly-tipping has long been a persistent issue in the area, despite ongoing efforts by Council and dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to clean up the mess.

But for those who live there, the problem remains stubbornly unresolved.

Visit the area and the issue is plain to see: bottles, cans, and even discarded lip gloss littered the streets, while larger abandoned items—including suitcases, chairs, fridges, and televisions—are strewn across the alleys.

While the items often get cleaned up by the local authorities, they are said to reappear in a flash. 

One concerned resident, choosing to remain anonymous, took Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Hodgson on a firsthand tour of the worst-hit streets, where evidence of illegal dumping was impossible to miss.

The resident, who regularly reports fly-tipping incidents, believes some individuals may even be enabling the problem. They speculated that some disgruntled neighbours believe some “dodgy residents” get paid to leave alleygates open to enable fly-tipping.

Despite council regulations requiring alleygates to be locked, many were found open, providing easy access for dumping. The resident, who is deeply invested in tackling the issue, collects evidence almost daily and reports fly-tipping to the council “at least once a week.” They shared hundreds of photos taken over recent months, capturing overflowing bins, discarded mattresses, and other waste clogging the alleyways.

According to them, the problem is exacerbated by a high turnover of short-term tenants and a lack of long-term residents taking pride in the area. “You’ve got a great dumping ground. Nobody’s ever going to kick off as if you were a long-term resident,” they explained.

The tour passed a dried patch of spilled paint on Kindersley Street, which the resident pointed to as another sign of neglect. “The whole situation makes me feel like the social fabric of this once-thriving community is now trashed,” they lamented.

At the end of one street, council workers were actively cleaning up waste following the closure of a large cannabis farm. As the unmistakable smell of the drug lingered in the air, a member of Middlesbrough Council’s environmental “Flying Squad” explained the scale of the work involved.

“We aren’t even the alley team—we deal with fly tips,” they told Teesside Live. The alley team visits weekly in addition to their own work, highlighting the enormous effort required to .

One council worker attributed the issue to transient tenants and distant landlords, explaining, “Those who fly-tip have no respect for the area because they’re not there for long enough—the landlords are usually miles away.” However, they admitted that longer-term residents might also contribute to the problem.

“It’s easy to pay someone to just throw it all in an alleyway,” one worker noted. “We make a rod for our own back because we clean all this, and then someone two doors down will say, ‘Well, they got it done for free.’”

Despite his frustration, the resident leading the tour acknowledged the hard work of the clean-up teams. “These lads that are cleaning it up—this doesn’t come free, this is additional cleaning,” they said. “This is a lot better now than it was the other day.”

Still, they recalled an instance when a pile of dumped rubbish was left in an alley for two weeks before being removed, leaving residents to endure the mess despite paying council tax. “We’re not criticising [the clean-up teams], they couldn’t work any harder,” they stressed. “I’m criticising the fact that this keeps on happening.”

Councillor Janet Thompson, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods at Middlesbrough Council, acknowledged the ongoing issue, stating: “Unfortunately, we do have issues with levels of fly-tipping in North Ormesby. We’re working hard to address them and thank people for reporting dumped items. We do need people who live in the area to be responsible and show respect for their community.

“We spend hours and hours each week cleaning the area and investigate all reports of fly-tipping. We are investing in more CCTV and cameras specifically for alleyways. We will also soon introduce new signage for the alleys reminding people to do the right thing. In 2024, the council issued seven high-level fines in relation to environmental crime in North Ormesby. We will continue to investigate reports and won’t hesitate to prosecute people where necessary.”

For now, the fly-tipping problem in North Ormesby remains a major frustration for many residents, despite the tireless work of the council’s clean-up teams. With new surveillance measures and increased enforcement, there is hope that the area can reclaim its former sense of pride and community.

Until then, however, for some, North Ormesby continues to feel less like a neighbourhood—and more like a dumping ground.