[Closed] Skips on pavements - Cheeky b'stard content

Today your mum and dad should tell neighbour to do one!

My mum was very polite and said that she would trim back the offending bush at the weekend. She also asked me to investigate the legality of the situation. £1000 fine if they contravene any of the local planning rules apparently.

Don't **** with my mum.

1) Can you drop a skip on a pavement? No

2) Should it have lights if it is projecting into the road? Possibly. It should be signed and guarded, this may involve lights.

3) Does it require a permit? Yes but only if not sited entirely on private land, normally handled by the skip company/contractor. It's a licence not a permit.

and

4) Can you burn building waste on site? Doubt it. Only some plant material can be burned on site and this requires an exemption and registration with the Environmental Agency.

[url= https://www.gov.uk/apply-skip-permit ]https://www.gov.uk/apply-skip-permit[/url]

I think even with a permit it would be illegal to obstruct the pavement.

If they cut down the bush without permission, then that's criminal damage.

2) Should it have lights if it is projecting into the road? Possibly. It should be signed and guarded, this may involve lights.

Last time I hired a skip, I was told by the skip company that if it's on the road they're legally obliged to fasten a flashing light on it (which they did).

A bit of investigation would suggest that you can't put them on a pavement. Also, depending on the local authority, it may need cones, lights and the phone number of the hire company displayed on it. It has non of these.

The penalty for no compliance is a £1000 fine.

[img] [/img]

Last time we had a skip they would only put it on the drive. Not allowed to put it on the pavement or verge (which was large enough to accommodate it) and if I wanted it on the road that required a permit which we probably wouldn't get because it's a narrow close.

1) No.
2) Probably not, but needs reflective strips to be visible. In much the same way if your park you car - tail lights/reflectors pointing towards approaching traffic.
3) Don't know.
4) Depends on what's being burnt, but even still the rules on smoke control still apply - check with your local council. But most skip companies don't allow fires anyway.

[img] [/img]

No
Yes
Yes (if on the road)
Depends what's being burnt - you shouldn't burn stuff with oil (so rubber, etc) and the smoke must not cause a nuisance to the neighbours.

I'd tell her to sod off.

Don't **** with my mum.

Certainly will not! Sounds scary! I'll wait till she gets that bush trimmed

The highways act is your freind, illegal to obstruct the footway, report it to the council and state it makes it difficult for wheelchair and pram users to pass, that usually gets them out, can be done anonomously

The Highway is any public land the public have access to eg verge, road or footway.

A friend was killed ~20years ago riding his motorbike into an unlit skip at night.

There was a scruffy manky skip on my commute, in the road, unlit, no name - just knew its contents were more than likely going to end up dumped in a nice layby somewhere.

The burning of rubbish (in my case genuinely just good clean dry wood) I can honestly say from first hand experience Is not allowed by any business, especially so if a ****ing nimby lives near by.

If they cut down the bush without permission, then that's criminal damage.

seems to be the season for inconsiderate neighbours

I'd certainly be getting a "before photo" of the bush. And if there needs to be an after then I think criminal damage and trespass would be coming into it as well.

Is the old girl up to climbing on their roof with a view to plopping down their chimney?

We had a problem with the neighbours' gardener burning building rubbish. The builders would put their crap in the skip and the gardener would get it out and burn it: MDF, Ply, old gloss painted wood, polythene and polystyrene etc. You name it...
After a week of talking to the neighbours and their saying they'd sort it out, a call to Environmental Health (I think, as all departments were passing the buck) resulted in a site visit from an eager young man who took some samples of the ash and left a leaflet highlighting the possible penalties for burning building waste. No more bonfires...

The burning of rubbish (in my case genuinely just good clean dry wood) I can honestly say from first hand experience Is not allowed by any business, especially so if a **** nimby lives near by.

So it's ok to break the law if no one sees you?

[i]Today the neighbour informed my mum that they were going to cut down the bush in my mum's garden because it was blocking the pavement for people walking round the skip.[/i]

Bollocks to that. They can't trim it and they can't "make" her trim it either. I hope she isn't bullied into this.

They probably can if it's is genuinely blocking the pavement

It is protruding by about 4" max. The skip is considerably bigger.

They've upset her. If my dad had come out of the house he would have been upset too. They are in their late 70 and don't need this shit.

I will be speaking to the council tomorrow.

A near neighbour had a bad habit of burning rubbish in his back garden. Someone complained to the right people. Next time he had a fire, the fire brigade and two police arrived promptly. That was his last.

So it's ok to break the law if no one sees you?

POSTED 8 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

[quote=newrobdob ]So it's ok to break the law if no one sees you?

Apparently: http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/cds-best-way-to-get-rid-of-them

Phone the skip company, tell them you've spoken to Highways Dept and reported the skip. They'll come and remove it. Works for me where I live. None of the points are anything to do with Building Control.

If its on the pavement, its a public service they are offering, Id stick a sign on it saying 'Please Fill With Unwanted Rubbish'

Just spoken to a very nice lady at the council who must spend all of her time listening to people whinging.

Skips = Highways

Fires = Environment with a double check against Building Control as it will be a stipulation in the planning consent not to burn building waste

Last time we had a skip they would only put it on the drive. Not allowed to put it on the pavement or verge (which was large enough to accommodate it) and if I wanted it on the road that required a permit which we probably wouldn't get because it's a narrow close.

Yup, that was my experience too.

However if the bush is overhanging then it should be cut back regardless.

Unless your Local Authority uses Building Control to check Planning Consent Conditions there is no available building control legislation that stops stuff being burnt on site, skips being put in your Mum's garden.
As I posted phone the skip company, I usually get a couple a month moved for being on the pavement or being unlit.
Does your Local Authority have a Streetcare dept?

I usually get a couple a month moved for being on the pavement or being unlit.

Blimey, do you live on a building site?

[i]A friend was killed ~20years ago riding his motorbike into an unlit skip at night[/i]

My brother mashed his leg crashing his motorbike into an unlit skip too. Got a big payout, but his leg's never been the same and the resulting infection may have been responsible for the bone cancer he's been fighting for the last decade.
Get those bastards fined.

Report the skip. Its not allowed on the pavement. Local authority will get it shifted

if the bush is overhanging then it should be cut back regardless

If she refuses to cut it back the council can do it and then charge her....

As above, deal with it via the skip company. If you get a man with a clipboard involved then he will insist that the hedge is also cut back in the interests of 'fairness'.

The bush is at ground level. It protrudes by about 4", is 15" wide and 6" tall where it crosses the boundary.

The skip is the size of a skip.

Bush now trimmed back.

I had a job in that London one summer giving skip scaffolding and Cherry picker licences to builders. It was the most stressful job i have ever had by a mile.

There were suprisingly strict rules/ licences required , especially if placing them on the TfL managed red routes. Often meant people wouldn't bother and we spent loads of time chasing companies/getting them removed. Angry people involved at every stage of the process. What joy

the footway is technically part of the council owned 'highway' so you need permission from the council to obstruct it. This would usually involve means for pedestrians to get around it safely. report it to the council and they will have an obligation to either get the skip hire company to provide access around it or move it altogether.

failing that just dump all your rubbish in it.

The bush is at ground level. It protrudes by about 4", is 15" wide and 6" tall where it crosses the boundary.

The skip is the size of a skip.

Are you getting you "s and your 's mixed up? Does something 38cm wide and 15cm tall sticking out 10cm really count as a bush - that's a barely a plant! Unless you mean 15 foot wide and 6 foot tall sticking out 4 foot over the pavement. Which would be quite a lot of sticking out.

Skip off private land needs permit, burning of commercial waste is not on, report to EA or through crime stoppers. Big push on preventing illegal waste management from construction at the moment.

After a week of talking to the neighbours and their saying they'd sort it out, a call to Environmental Health (I think, as all departments were passing the buck) resulted in a site visit from an eager young man who took some samples of the ash and left a leaflet highlighting the possible penalties for burning building waste. No more bonfires...

It's the Environment Agency. 0800 80 70 60.

I had a commercial property burning rubbish across the back street from my house. I reported it to the EA who said they'd send someone out and to let them know if they did it again. So I did.

In just one short year and after eighteen separate phone calls to the EA, they finally stopped burning stuff. Good luck with your neighbour.

that's a barely a plant!

Correct. It is a big plant growing out from underneath taller bushes that are entirely within the boundary.

They had the cheek to say that they were going to report my mum to the council for obstructing a pavement with it whilst being stood next to their skip.

We need pics of this situation to properly assess it. Bonus points if you can get an angry builder in frame.

Haven't read all the replies but I would tell them to go take a running jump the bunch of ***** chancers. If it goes on the road it needs proper marking with signs/lights. We had some block pavers leave a load of bags of sand and some blocks on the road with only some red/white tape... before my dad uttered "should we move that son?" Some lass cattled her hatchback into the lot.. proper shunt/bang and bumper hanging off job. Guessing she was pissed/on phone as no one ever came knocking!

so you've been "reasonable" and trimmed the bush - suggest go back to whoever from the builders asked for this to be done and establish why - presumably because someone had complained couldn't walk past the skip safely - suggest explain to them:
Skips aren't allowed on verges/pavements but you've helped them out short term ...and what about their not neighbourly burning of rubbish can that be stopped?
suspect you will get someone who says nothing to do with me - so maybe look for the guy in the big double cab that turns up every now and then and buttonhole him with reasonableness - time consuming but maybe ask the oldies what time the big man comes

LeeW,
Feels like it, but no, been a building control officer for 35 years so learnt all the tricks for helping out the public when their neighbours builders are being ***** or 'just builders' 🙄

It wasn't the builder that complained, it was the house owner.

There has been a thing bubbling along for ages about my mum's garden as it curves round the front of next door's house (think 1990s estate with bendy roads and bubble shaped parking areas). They have extended at the front up to the boundary and then came round complaining that there was less light getting through the new windows.

When the houses were originally built back in the 90s he sneaked out and moved all the boundary pegs removing the curved bit. It all got messy and the original boundary got reinstated. Last night was just the final straw for my mum. After "Bushgate" the Lady from next door said that if we didn't like the skip we should call the council. We did.

Are you getting you "s and your 's mixed up? Does something 38cm wide and 15cm tall sticking out 10cm really count as a bush - that's a barely a plant!

In danger of being crushed by a dwarf?

Harry_the_Spider - Member
It wasn't the builder that complained, it was the house owner.

maybe go round for a chat and point out that as everyone gets older you'll be involved in the day to stuff much more and suggest that their builder is maybe taking the p' a bit - pushy neighbour prob' quite happy to let pushy builder do stuff - maybe suggest they contact you directly on any skip access problems, any other boundary issues

edit missed the end sentence ... no intent on being reasonable I suspect ... good luck

Update.

Neighbour came round and said that his daughter in law was out of order for having a go at my mum, then casually mentioned that they had had an unexpected visit from the council about the burning of building waste.

The council sent another bunch round today to investigate the spoil that has been dumped over the back fence into the council land behind (not my doing, I knew nothing about this). I think there may also have been words about the builders urinating against the fence that adjoins the neighbour on the other side.

The skip is still there though. Can's wait for Highways Dept. to turn up.

Result 🙂

have you tried phoning the skip company ??

Not going to. They and their builders have behaved like arseholes. Let them get bollocked/fined.

Not going to. They and their builders have behaved like arseholes. Let them get bollocked/fined.

You do right - they sound like idiots.

Now it's all over can we see a picture of your moms trimmed bush? 🙂

Now it's all over can we see a picture of your moms trimmed bush?

Result!! Nice one! 8)

Thanks, that's an image thats going to take a very long time to fade from my mind...