Chalfont St Peter: Dad fights West Hyde Lane litter

Jeremy Fletcher, 48, has pleaded for a solution to repeated littering and fly-tipping on West Hyde Lane in Chalfont St Peter.

After moving to the area with his family in 2021 for the beauty of the Chilterns AONB, he soon noticed the lane was a littering hotspot.

He said: “It’s disgusting.

“I walk on on the lane with my children, but it’s horrible with nitrous oxide cans and all these things.

“It’s starting to grind me down.

The state of the lane before the latest litter pick (Image: Jeremy Fletcher)

“I don’t know what to do, how to prevent it and how to get the Council to engage seriously.

“I almost get quite upset, it’s my neighbourhood, and it’s a lovely part of the world.

“It’s not just a crisp packet every couple of weeks – it’s really bad all the time.

“There’s something about this one lane.”

He suspects the litter – dirty nappies, drink cans and wrappers – is “definitely” thrown out of cars on the entire length of the lane, including near Robertswood School, although he hasn’t seen anyone do it.

His nine and ten-year-old children ask him “why there are 20 cans laying around.”

“What do I tell them?”

West Hyde Lane immediately after litter was picked (Image: Jeremy Fletcher)

He regularly goes litter picking to “stay on top of it”, and reports it through FixMyStreet. 

During a weekend at the end of January, he collected almost 2,000 items. The next day, more than 50 new items of litter had been dropped, he said.

The situation spurred him to contact Sarah Green MP, who got in touch with Bucks Council’s Gareth Williams.

Mr Fletcher felt the Council didn’t see littering on the lane as “a significant issue,” a claim the Council disagreed with.

"We're aware of the issues on West Hyde Lane and strongly disagree with the comment that any fly-tipping is 'not a significant issue',” a Council spokesperson said.

They claimed the first litter pick was organised in April 2022 before Ms Green’s office contacted the Council in on May 10

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The spokesperson said: “When the waste service was initially contacted there was a delay in the site being cleared from 28 February 2022 to April 2022 due to traffic management issues.”

Mr Fletcher demanded to know what the maintenance schedule for cleaning the lane and plans for preventative management were.

“It’s litter, I know I need to put it into perspective, but it really upsets me.

“The young pupils at Robertswood School have to see it every day. There are walkers, cyclists and horse riders," he added. 

The Council spokesperson said: “We are actively working with various departments to control and prevent the problem and recognise it as a top priority. Unfortunately, West Hyde Lane has seen an increase in littering recently, which has understandably caused distress and frustration to the residents.”

“We appreciate volunteer litter pickers attending the site but strongly encourage residents to stay safe and report any littering or fly-tipping on FixMyStreet, as this is a dangerous road with traffic concerns and the correct protection needed for litter pickers isn't there. We also would like to encourage residents and drivers to take responsibility for their own litter while traveling in the area, as we realistically can’t clear every road every day.”