THE owner of the old Grammar School site in Soham has hit back at claims that he has failed to act following calls from residents for urgent action over fly-tipping at the site. The owner of the building – who has asked the Ely Standard not to disclose hi

THE owner of the old Grammar School site in Soham has hit back at claims that he has failed to act following calls from residents for urgent action over fly-tipping at the site.

The owner of the building - who has asked the Ely Standard not to disclose his name - said that he had made several attempts to combat the issue of fly-tipping at the site and insisted that he had reported the problem to police and the district council on several occasions.

The owner also said that fly-tipping had been a problem at the site prior to the purchase of the building back in 2000 and that efforts to identify those responsible had been made.

In a letter to the Ely Standard he said: "I am the first to admit that the property suffers from fly tipping. Late in 2009 I cleared the site and many times prior to this. I have reported incidents of fly tipping to the district council and police."

As reported in last week's issue of the Ely Standard, persistent fly-tipping at the site on Churchgate Street, has caused concern among local people and councillors alike, who said urgent action was needed to clear the site.

A range of items including wood, scrap metal, household rubbish and even an old car have been dumped at the site by fly-tippers in recent months.

East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) has said however, that it has "served a number of enforcement notices on the owner of the Old Grammar School" and had also cleared up rubbish at the property on several occasions.

The council has also told the Ely Standard that it would be "exploring its legal options to ensure a long-term solution for residents in the area."

The owner of the building also told the Ely Standard that he was now planning to consult with leaseholders about erecting security fencing around the site to stop fly-tippers from dumping rubbish there.

He also insisted that some of the property was still being rented as flats and that there were plans in the pipeline that could see a retail element introduced there in the near future.