By Amelia Caley
The pile of illegally dumped waste behind Livesey Hall in Bell Hill was first reported in October 2025 by resident James Evans, a freelance photographer and local father.
He reported the waste to the council after spotting it while reviewing drone images taken near a neighbouring construction site.
Evans said: “It is frustrating that the council seems to rely so heavily on resident reporting when they should already know where the hotspots are and tackle them directly. Often the response is simply to put up warning signs.”
The site is privately owned which means the responsibility for the land lies with Livesey Hall, although the council did say in 2022 that it would take necessary enforcement action to protect and maintain the heritage site.
The illegally deposited waste is made up of a mixture of domestic and industrial waste ranging from mattresses, furniture and freezers to wooden pallets and rubble.
The dumping is located on the site of the hall’s former tennis courts.
After Evans shared the aerial footage online, other residents said the waste had likely been there for several months.
One neighbour said that they had seen trucks access the site over the course of a day and night to deposit the waste, with Evans adding that they would have had to cut the locks to gain access.
When the issue was reported five months ago, council fly-tipping enforcement officer Eiman Rostami said “all appropriate actions have been taken from an environmental enforcement perspective” and that the matter would now proceed under planning enforcement.
Evans said the situation highlights wider frustrations about how fly-tipping is handled locally.
He continued: “I have asked about installing CCTV, but was told the council has limited cameras and no resources to invest in more. That feels like a backwards step, because cameras can deter dumping and ultimately save taxpayers money by reducing the cost of clearing waste.”
In 2023, James and his two sons launched the Love Bell Green litter-picking initiative, regularly clearing streets around the neighbourhood and near Haseltine Primary School, where he serves as a governor.
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Waste crime receiving attention across England
Waste crime and large-scale “waste mountains” have seen significant national media attention in the last few months.
Towards the end of 2025, significant concern was raised over a large dumping between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
Three arrests have now been made in connection with the crime.
The Environment Agency has been under scrutiny over its enforcement action, with letsrecycle.com revealing that it has only used its unique enforcement powers to prevent waste crime six times since being granted them in April 2018.
Livesey Hall
Livesey Hall is a war memorial and community hall that has stood at the heart of the area since 1911.
Named after local engineer and industrialist Sir George Livesey, chairman of the South Metropolitan Gas Company which once operated the gas holders behind the site, the hall has long been a local landmark.
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