Network Rail Scotland has seen a significant rise in ‘fly-tipping’ across its infrastructure in Scotland, posing a risk to staff and trains.

With many household waste recycling centres closed across the UK, many people have resorted to ‘fly-tipping’ various items on Network Rail Scotland property, which is a criminal offence.

While costing them tens of thousands of pounds in clean up fees every year, the dumped waste also endangers lives. Whether preventing maintenance staff or emergency services from carrying important work or causing damage or derailment of trains, waste can easily lead to very unnecessary injury and deaths, also adding to the NHS’s workload.

Some incidents reported include:

1. Building rubble dumped across an access gate in the north of Glasgow.
2. Tree branches and building materials were blocking an access point in North Lanarkshire.
3. Tree branches and garden waste left on a steep slope above a line in South Lanarkshire.
4. Household appliances, furniture and rubbish dumped on a rail access road in East Lothian.
5. Rubbish fly-tipped on railway land in South Ayrshire.

Route Director for Network Rail Scotland Liam Sumpter said “Dealing with fly-tipping uses up valuable time and resources that could be put to much better use maintaining and enhancing our railway. Blocking access to the railway can have a serious impact on our staff carrying out their duties safely and can cause delays in quickly reaching incidents on the line. It is particularly important at this time, when the rail network is playing a vital role in keeping key workers and critical freight supplies on the move across Scotland.”

The public can also help to keep the railway secure by contacting Network Rail’s 24-hour helpline on 03457 114141 to report any locations where fly-tippers are abusing the railway.

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