London council reveals bizarre fly-tipping calls... including mattress on a telegraph pole and turtles in a shoebox

This coffin left council officers startled after finding it fly-tipped in Ilford
Redbridge Council
Laura Proto25 August 2015

A mattress hooked on a telegraph pole, turtles abandoned in a shoebox and a coffin dumped in front of a pile of tyres are just some of the bizarre fly-tips a north London council has handled.

Redbridge Council has revealed some of the peculiar rubbish dumps it has been called to over the last few years to encourage people to dispose of their unwanted items responsibly.

Council officers were left startled after being alerted to a coffin in a service road off Ley Street, Ilford, several years ago and were forced to check it was empty before it was taken away and disposed of.

In November 2014, two turtles were found inside a shoebox in Staggart Green and were quickly handed over to the RSPCA.

The same year, a double mattress was found suspended from a telegraph pole in Chamberlain Close, much to the bewilderment of the council.

A double mattress was somehow dumped at the top of a telegraph pole Redbridge Council
Redbridge Council

Councillor Dev Sharma said: “It’s mind blowing really, someone took the time to actually get a full size double mattress all the way up a telephone post in the middle of a street.

“It’s difficult to think of any scenario where you would even consider doing that. It would have been a lot easier to take it to the tip and dispose of it properly.”

These turtles were found abandoned in a shoebox in Ilford Redbridge Council
Redbridge Council

A council spokesman said while these instances are amusing, fly-tipping is no laughing matter, adding it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear dumped rubbish each year.

The spokesman said: “Any person or business caught fly tipping could face an unlimited fine and a criminal record, and there are really no excuses.

“There are plenty of responsible ways to throw away unwanted goods, no matter how big or small.”

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