Star Street residents are shocked and angry that Council ‘vandals’ have removed the ‘Don’t Dump’ signs that residents had designed, paid for and attached to the lampposts at the corner of Star Street and Sale Place, next to the big black bins.
The Council has now admitted that it was Council officers who ripped down the ‘Don’t Dump’ signs from the Star Street lampposts because “the signs erected are not in keeping with our corporate standard, did not seek permission to use the council’s logo”.
Labour campaigners share residents’ shock and anger at the Council’s admitted vandalism. As one resident remarked,
“The signs did seem to make a difference, and it was easy to point to them and tell people it’s illegal to dump. Last week I had to make a guy remove his broken-down wardrobe and he made the point that everyone else did it so he assumed it was okay. Since they have been taken down it’s given people more agency to dump stuff there.”
“The council’s own signage has absolutely no utility in preventing dumping. These worked.”
Another resident said, “What a horrible red-tape world we live in. We are just trying to make a difference and help our community.”
Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour City Management spokesperson, said:
“Illegal rubbish dumping is a problem in all parts of Westminster and it is high time the Council took strong action against the dumpers. Residents are fed up with the lack of action from Boris Johnson’s favourite Conservative Council and so they decided to take matters into their own hands by installing their own ‘Don’t Dump’ signs at the Star Street dumping ‘hotspot’.”
“It really is a ‘kick in the teeth’ for local community action for the Council to rip the signs off the lampposts under the cover of darkness. The Council just ripped down the ‘Don’t Dump’ signs and didn’t even bother to put up their own Council signs.
“The Council claims to be “supportive of signage to reduce fly-tipping and littering as long as it is safe and the messaging is in line with our corporate standards”, so we have asked for Council ‘Don’t Dump’ signs to be installed without further delay.”