A Coventry road has been closed after fly-tippers dumped an estimated 95 to 100 drums of oil across the carriageway, forcing council crews to call in gritting lorries to make the surface safe.
Hollyfast Lane, on the outskirts of the city near Bablake, was shut on Wednesday after a resident alerted Coventry City Council to the scale of the dumping early in the morning.
One local woman, Jo Davis, said she came across the mess at around 6am and described feeling furious at the state of the road, saying she had no respect for people who thought this kind of behaviour was acceptable.
The council said staff had responded rapidly once they were made aware of the problem. Crews moved in to close off the lane before any driver could be hurt, and have since been working continuously to clear the spilled oil from the road surface. Because of the risk posed by the slippery spillage, gritters normally used for icy winter roads were deployed to help absorb and clear the oil, despite temperatures in the city reaching around 27C at the time.
A temporary traffic order confirmed by the council shows the closure came into force at 10am on Wednesday and can remain in place for up to five days, or until clean-up work is finished — whichever comes first. The authority has said it expects the work to be completed by Sunday, 12 July.
Councillor Lisa Boyle, who represents the Bablake ward where Hollyfast Lane is located, called the incident “absolutely appalling.” She said the spillage was particularly concerning because oil of that kind needs to be properly contained and disposed of, rather than left to run across a public road.
Cllr Boyle said the dumping was not an isolated problem in the area, pointing to a long-running pattern of fly-tipping locally that has included mattresses, asbestos, furniture and sofas. She argued that tougher measures were needed to tackle the issue, including permanent CCTV coverage or other monitoring of known dumping spots.
Her comments echo concerns raised by fellow local councillor Jennifer Wells earlier this year, after roughly 30 mattresses along with furniture and toys were found dumped nearby on Hollyfast Lane and Watery Lane. The council says it recently secured more than £420,000 in funding to help tackle fly-tipping across Coventry.
Fly-tipping controlled waste is a criminal offence that can carry a fine of up to £50,000, or an unlimited fine if the case goes to Crown Court. Coventry City Council can also issue a £1,000 fixed penalty notice as an alternative to prosecution, and has the power to seize vehicles used to dump waste illegally.
The council thanked residents for reporting the Hollyfast Lane incident promptly, saying it had allowed crews to act quickly and prevent a potential accident. A road closure remains in place while the clean-up continues, and the authority is asking drivers to avoid the area where possible.
Anyone with information about who was responsible for the dumping has been urged to come forward.
