Derek’s council concerns

Nov 22 2007 by Jamie L. Robins, Gwent Gazette

AN AWARD winning volunteer claims he is being stopped from helping his community.

Derek Pope of Pen Rhiw, Brynithel says the police and council have wasted their time by visiting his property and writing letters to him over what he claims are ‘petty problems’.

The 64-year-old single parent no longer works and dedicates his time to cleaning up Blaenau Gwent.

He regularly takes his trailer to beauty spots as far away as Trefil quarry to collect and dispose of refuse.

Over the years he has won awards from the Gwent Association of Volunteers but he now says his work is becoming more difficult because of the interference he has been subjected to.

“I love making the area look nice,” Mr Pope said.

“I have always enjoyed doing and a lot of people appreciate the work I do for the area.

“I have put a bench on a piece of green outside our houses, I have picked up bins that were thrown onto the mountain side and strapped them to lamp posts in the area and now the council collect from them weekly.

“I like doing my bit to make the area look better but the amount of hassle I have been getting recently is getting too much.”

The main problem Mr Pope has had involves the trailer he uses for his regular litter picks.

“I take the trailer from outside our home and I drive it across the mountains and pick up any waste I find along the way,” he said.

“I have always parked it in a lay-by up the road from my house and I have an understanding with the council that they will come and collect the refuse from me after I have taken it off the mountain.

“This has always worked well for me until I found the council had placed an abandoned notice on it.

“I moved it from the lay-by to a piece of land outside my home and then I was told I couldn’t do that.

“All I want to do is clean the area and they are making it very difficult for me.”

The lasts straw came a few weeks ago when two police officers called at Mr Pope’s house.

“My daughter bought me some stickers from Burnham on Sea so I put them on the back of the door,” he said.

“They weren’t very offensive and they were quite small - they’re the sort of things you see at any seaside resort and you see them on a lot of cars.

“I couldn’t believe it when the police called up and threatened me with an £80 fine if I didn’t remove them.

“I have drove all over the place with those stickers on my van without any problems but I get in trouble when I’m parked in Brynithel.

“I couldn’t believe two officers wasted their time driving all the way up from Abertillery just to tell me off about some stickers.

“Surely they have better things to do.”

A spokesperson for Gwent police said they called at Mr Pope’s property after receiving complaints from neighbours.

She explained how the officers explained the situation to Mr Pope whose daughter removed the stickers.