Type=image;ImageID=13945;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Fly tipped waste on the site;TitleClass=strong;
Type=image;ImageID=13946;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Former Patch Box Pub site in Bradley;TitleClass=strong;
The site of the former Patch Box Pub, off Willis Pearson Avenue, Bradley, has been plagued by dumped waste for years as well as other anti social behaviour problems including arson and people riding motorbikes across the land.
It has been a constant source of complaints from long suffering residents who have been desperate for the privately owned site to be cleaned up and secured.
The land is owned by Qualitas Developments Limited which has a registered office in Bearwood Road, Bearwood.
City of Wolverhampton Council prosecuted Qualitas Developments using anti social behaviour powers after the company failed to comply with a community protection notice served in April this year which required the removal of waste.
Wolverhampton Magistrates Court fined Qualitas, which pleaded guilty to the offence, £3,500 and ordered the firm to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £170.
Councillor Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for city environment, said: "Ever since the pub was demolished a decade ago, this site has been left to become an eyesore.
"It is the responsibility of the owners to ensure it is kept secure and free from waste and litter. While I can appreciate that it is not the owners themselves who are dumping the waste, I am concerned that they seem to have shown a blatant disregard towards their responsibilities.
"They have ignored repeated requests and orders from the council to clear up the land which they admitted through their guilty plea. This has been a saga going back over many years and we hope this significant fine from the court will finally get the owners to sit up and take notice.
"I would like to thank officers in our public protection team for their diligence in pursuing this matter and successfully prosecuting this company on behalf of local people who shouldn't have to put up with preventable issues like this."
The council is now waiting to hear whether the court has also granted a remedial order that will require Qualitas to remove all waste from the land, tidy up the site and carry out regular inspections to ensure it is kept in a reasonable condition.
- released: Friday 3 November, 2017