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Hello.

I'm Jane McIntyre, a voiceover and writer, formerly an award-winning BBC radio newsreader and producer. My blog covers life, love and loss; travel, coffee and chocolate; with some heartfelt pieces in the mix about my late dad, who had dementia. Just a click away, I'm half of the team behind www.thetimeofourlives.net - two empty nesters who whizzed round the world in 57 days.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Spare tyre? Run over here, mate


Dateline: Sunday night, around ten ish.
Location: Just round the corner, really.
Incident log: Dumping ruddy great tyres down a country lane.

It was like this, guv.

I was just driving down the road, about a mile from home, admiring the night sky with the Welsh hills in the distance.

(Exhibit one, m`lud:)


Bit dark, I know, but you get my drift. You can`t really make them out, but the Breiddons are there, really.

Then about half a mile down the lane, I noticed this:

(Exhibit two)


Yeah ok, they look a bit like doughnuts, but they`re tyres. Big ones. Muddy, worn, and sitting beside a country lane.

Not great pictures, because it was 10 pm, y`see.

And fly-tipping might not be the crime of the century, granted. But it bothers me. 

Here`s why:

Even though things have improved a bit; it`s still a problem. The annual bill of up to £150 million to clear up the mess proves that--and it`s taxpayers and landowners who pick up the tab.

You`d get hammered if they caught you. A £50,000 fine, possibly, or even a spell in prison. But that`s not scaring everyone, clearly.

Whether it`s chucking your burger box out of  the car window, or arranging that floral three piece suite in a layby... (hey, why not pop a standard lamp beside it to complete the picture?)... it`s basically because you can`t be arsed to do the right thing--drive a bit further, and dispose of it responsibly.

So I just wondered. How is it, round your way? And is it just me who gets angry about it...or does it bother you too?

(PS: And yes, I did report it. You can fill in a form online, which goes to the Environment Agency. Good luck finding whoever dumped them, guys. Oh...and if it was you....and you`re ever keen to rid yourself of a spare tyre in the future, I suggest you go easy on the chips. And then dispose of your rubbish responsibly. OK? Thanks.  )

News just in....it`s 24 hours on. My report to the Environment Agency`s been logged and acknowledged, and Panorama`s investigation into illegal dumping of tyres and other waste has just aired on BBC 1.

So I just popped up the lane to see how things were looking:

Yep...still there and oh...
Didn`t spot this last night...looks like they dumped the kitchen sink too!

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