CHILDREN are being put at risk from unidentified chemicals, which are being dumped by callous fly-tippers on Hogmoor Inclosure. The selfish fly-tippers are targeting the area, dumping anything from chemicals to dirty nappies and larger items, such as washing machines. The area is popular with children and is littered with dangerous items, which could contaminate anyone who comes into contact with them. A local councillor is working to highlight the problem by building a body of evidence against the fly-tippers. He said he is concerned about the spread of disease. Philip Drury, town and district councillor for Whitehill Hogmoor, noticed the problem when walking in the area last Sunday. He said: "While I was taking photographs of the area, I encountered several children, who informed me they were disgusted with the mess and were quite concerned about the damage this would cause to local wildlife. "I was even more concerned when one young boy picked up a plastic container which was filled with a blue liquid, which could possibly be a noxious chemical. I could not identify it because of a lack of labelling." He said there were four boys under 10 wading through the mess and pulling out objects. "They were playing with it, and pulling out sharp objects. Any child that may have allergies or asthma could easily have an attack," he said. "Children are at risk in this area and it will be very dangerous for them to play here, especially if they are exposed to dangerous substances which someone has callously discarded. Imagine the possibility for the spread of disease from used nappies." He said he was "dismayed" at the extent of the rubbish which was both domestic and industrial. "I cannot for the life of me understand why these people, who dump dangerous substances or sharp objects into the countryside, do not think about the safety of young people and animals, and also the local environment," he said. Describing the area, he said: "I was absolutely dismayed to find that this land is a major fly- tipping target. "I saw full containers of chemicals, bags of cement, nappies, old wooden sheds, large amounts of full bin bags, old bicycles, car tyres, beer cans, glass bottles, tiles, concrete - the list is just too exhaustive. "As I walked around the vicinity of the village hall and the footpaths there, I could not help but notice the extreme amounts of litter dumped in the undergrowth, both domestic and industrial. "I am presupposing that someone somewhere has decided that the Hogmoor Inclosure should be a landfill site, although I am not aware of any planning application indicating this to be the case. "But clearly, someone does want this area to be used for this purpose rather than to see sensible development here. "In Bordon we have a really useful council tip that recycles regularly and passes serviceable goods along to those who may need them. It is just a few minutes up the road from Whitehill and has a very good reputation. Mr Drury has reported the problem to the town council which will notify the Army about the extent of the situation. He hopes that a clean-up operation can be launched between the council and the Army to clear the area. Staff officer at REME Jim Willcoxson said: "There is a problem over there. "There's a lot of it going on; they dump burnt- out cars and do all sorts, but I have not heard of anything recently. "Every now and again, we go and clear it up and then wait for the next wave." Sergeant James Noble of Whitehill Police said that the police work with the council and now, thanks to new laws being introduced this year, the police can actually make an arrest and prosecute fly tippers.
