Report rubbish on private land
Rubbish and waste on private land are usually the responsibility of the landowner to remove. Before contacting us, you should raise your concerns with the owner or occupier of the land, as this often resolves the problem quickly.
If the rubbish and waste are on public land, you should use one of the following services instead:
What to do about rubbish and waste on private land
If you have already contacted the owner or occupier and the problem has not been resolved, you can report rubbish and waste on private land using our online form.
Report rubbish on private land
When we may take action
We may investigate rubbish and waste on private land where there is a risk to public health. This may include rubbish and waste that:
- are attracting rats
- are hazardous
- are rotting or decomposing
- contain significant amounts of food waste
If intervention is needed, we will contact the owner or occupier and ask them to clear the rubbish and waste and return the land to an acceptable condition.
If they do not take action, we may use enforcement powers. This legal process can take several weeks or months to complete.
When we cannot intervene
We generally cannot intervene if the land is:
- untidy or unattractive
- overgrown
- affected by rubbish and waste that do not present a risk to public health, such as rubble or old appliances
Unadopted land, private roads and back alleys
If rubbish and waste are on unadopted land, responsibility for clearing them rests with the owners and occupiers whose properties front onto or back onto the land.
This can include:
- private roads
- private pathways
- many back alleys in Swindon
Although no single person may own the land, responsibility for its upkeep is shared by those who use or benefit from it.
We cannot take enforcement action on this type of land because it can be difficult to identify those responsible and recover any costs. For this reason, we cannot investigate complaints about unadopted back alleys.