Abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping in Worthing leads resident to call for action from councillors

That was the strong message from a young Worthing resident, who is growing increasingly frustrated with abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping in his local area. 

Oscar Zienkiewicz, 21, of Broadwater Street West, wrote to councillors stating that the ‘fantastic green’, located on the main artery into Worthing, is now under ‘constant residence of many abandoned vehicles’. 

He said these include, ‘but are in no way limited to’, illegally parked caravans, abandoned motorhomes, untaxed cars, vehicles without an MOT, RVs and ‘even giant WW2 troop carriers’.

He added: “Rubbish has been dumped and left. We’ve had someone fly-tip right opposite our house in broad daylight, so it’s clear that non-residents now also see this entry into the town as a dump, too.

“For years, Broadwater has been a fantastic place to live. Although for the past 12 months, our experience of living here has been tarnished.”

Oscar said the neighbourhood ‘has gone down hill’, adding: “It is very sad to see it in this state as it’s such a beautiful place.”

Margaret Howard, Broadwater ward councillor, agreed that the parking of caravans ‘spoils the natural beauty of the area’ but stressed that there are no adequate parking facilities available.

“We do need to think about finding an official space for people,” she said. 

“There isn’t enough. We want to satisfy the people who come to Worthing to get more tourists but if we keep saying you can’t park here, where are they going to park?”

Dawn Smith, county councillor for Broadwater, said three vehicles on the green have been served with a notice to move on after the area was monitored for several weeks. They have since been referred for enforced removal.

She said no further evidence has been found of lived-in vehicles, and without parking restrictions, they are free to park there.

She added: “When any enquiries are made by residents we always consult with officers to try and assist them, and it was the West Sussex County Council officers who updated me with regards to the notices served and the vehicle owners being referred to the magistrates for failing to comply.”

Councillor Smith was not able to give an indication as to how long this will take, because of a backlog in court hearings.