A Bowes resident says repeated fly-tipping is making him “embarrassed” of where he lives and has urged Enfield Council to crack down on offenders.

Ediz Mevlit, who was a Conservative candidate at the recent local elections, said he has more than 1,000 photos of illegal waste dumping in the area, with two streets – Grenoble Gardens and Berkshire Gardens – particularly badly affected.

He claims the problems have been going on for years, but Enfield Council is refusing to install CCTV cameras to catch the fly-tippers.

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“I have had enough of living in a dump,” he said. “I live in a dump now. I’m embarrassed in front of my children about where I live, and I should not be made to feel that way.”

Tottenham Independent: Fly-tipping in Bowes (Credit Ediz Mevlit)

Earlier this month, Ediz spotted a fly-tip in Grenoble Gardens and asked ward councillors to deal with the issue – but he was told to report the problem to the council himself. He said the rubbish was there for at least four days and was cleared after he reported it to Maria Alexandrou, a ward councillor for Winchmore Hill.

Ediz said: “I needed [the rubbish] gone straight away. There was a knife in there. I disposed of the kitchen knife because it was exposed but wanted it gone straight away.

“When you report it online, the amount of times an error comes up – it is really frustrating, the council website. I’ve reported things in the past and it doesn’t get removed straight away – it can be two days.

“We need cameras to identify where [the offenders] are coming from and what they look like. I have not seen anyone from the council go through that rubbish to see who owns it and find evidence. I walk and cycle a lot and don’t see anyone looking into this.”

Tottenham Independent: Fly-tipping in Bowes (Credit Ediz Mevlit)

A council spokesperson said: “Enfield Council has a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and our teams work tirelessly to monitor, investigate and clear reported instances.

“In May alone we issued 283 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for rubbish dumping and more than 1,000 between January and May. We prosecute approximately 140 people per month who do not pay FPNs issued for dumping rubbish and littering.

“To help us catch people who blight our borough with fly-tipped waste, we have deployed the latest CCTV technology to catch rubbish dumpers red-handed. These cameras are placed in hotspots and are moved frequently to respond to dumping issues. We can confirm that Bowes ward will be one of the areas that we will be targeting."

Tottenham Independent: Fly-tipping in Bowes (Credit Ediz Mevlit)

They added: “In addition, our fly-tipping crews visit the location in the complaint every day and our waste enforcement officers patrol that area regularly. We have found evidence which we will use to trace and prosecute suspected rubbish dumpers.  

“While our fly-tipping teams work around the clock to catch rubbish dumpers, the best way to report instances to us is online. This allows us to collect data which in turn helps us to develop and improve our services and for us to contact witnesses, where we have permission to do so.”