Anger over fly tipping in Cupar

Bags of rubbish, broken TVs, smashed bottles, food waste and more are being dumped next to the Wee Kingdom.

The space is used as a car park for the centre, and also hosts two skips which are used by local businesses.

Ali Rankin, the owner of the Wee Kingdom, said it had been an issue since she took over five years ago, but that it had been getting worse lately.

“It’s bad to the point where there must be around 30 bags around the back,” she explained. “Customers complain to me about it, and we are trying our best, but there’s only so much you can do.

“My main concern is that it looks bad for hygiene and public safety.”

Staff from Couper Carpets, which uses one of the Fife Council skips, often spend time having to clean up the area.

A spokesperson said it was “disheartening”, adding: “There is no excuse for 20+ bags full of food waste, dirty nappies etc, some of which are burst open, being strewn all over the area, causing potential health hazards as well as a unsightly mess.”

The businesses have been backed by Cllr Margaret Kennedy, who described the situation as a “health hazard to the public”.

She added: “Perhaps some individuals think that just because there are containers there that they can just dump waste as they see fit. This is completely unacceptable and has to stop. The users of the containers will sadly get blamed when it is clearly not their fault.”

Cllr Kennedy said she had contacted Fife Council officers regarding the issue, and urged people who witness the dumping to contact the local authority.

Paul Coleman, lead officer for community safety at Fife Council, said: “We’ve received reports of fly-tipping at this location. Officers have carried out investigations into the dumped waste and have contacted some of the businesses in the area. Our enquiries are ongoing.”