AN IRRITATED pensioner has called for action to clear up lingering rubbish left by travellers.

Terry Ransome, of, Cranbourne Avenue, Wanstead, has been forced to look for other areas to walk his two dogs because of the amount of rubbish in Roding Valley Park.

The 65-year-old voiced his disgust on social media but has been left in the dark over who owns the land.

Now, Mr Ransome has had enough and wants the rubbish gone.

He said: “I just think it’s irritating because it would take about a day to clear it. It’s not the council’s fault there’s rubbish there but it’s irritating because it won’t take long to clear.

“I walk through there every day and I think rubbish is putting people off walking through. We have tried to find alternative areas to walk the dogs.

“Someone’s got to do something about it, it can’t just stay there forever.”

Travellers parked their caravans at Roding Valley Park in Elmcroft Avenue on Wednesday, September 27.

In response, the council teamed up with police and evicted the travellers on Friday, September 29.

Following the eviction, Redbridge Council leader Cllr Jas Athwal announced it will pursue a High Court injunction to prevent unlawful encampments in the borough.

The council also confirmed it had evidence of fly-tipping and other environmental crimes over which it could take action.

Mr Ransome said he has been told contradictory things about the land, resulting in nothing being done.

He said: “They are big fly-tips. I have been tweeting about it for 11 or 12 weeks and been told that it’s TfL land, council land and highway land.

“I asked the council to clear the rubbish and they tweeted back saying it’s not their land. As the principle litter authority it’s their problem. They keep ignoring the issue.

“It was set on fire once. It’s not nice to walk through the park anymore. There are beds, old shoes, clothes, sofas and glass. Either someone’s had a clear-out or it’s travellers.”

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council said: “We understand that the delay in clearance of the dumped rubbish in the Roding Valley park area has been frustrating for residents. We needed to establish ownership of the land and to carry out tests on the dumped waste for any hazardous materials.

“We have now established that some of the land is owned by the council and some by Highways England, and have reached agreement which will see the waste fully removed by the end of the week.”

The Guardian has approached Transport for London for comment.