- EXCLUSIVE: Homeowners complain of leafy street being turned into ‘eyesore’
- David Feely, 48, accused of plaguing Wolsey Close, Surrey, with industrial waste
Homeowners in a leafy suburban town are up in arms about a neighbour plaguing the area with ‘industrial waste’, which is devaluing their houses.
David Feely is the owner of Feely Grab and Skip Hire in Worcester Park, Surrey, which was fined £19,000 in 2015 for running an illegal waste facility.
Feely was also fined in 2013 after one of his drivers was caught driving without taking a break on four separate occasions.
Now, locals have accused the 48-year-old, who also runs a dog walking business, of turning his home on Wolsey Close, Surrey, into an ‘eyesore’ and blocking the pavement with rubbish.
Retired pensioner Anne McMichael, 78, who has lived on the road for 36 years, said it was ‘a complete mess’.
She said: ‘I have seen a lorry with a crane piling dirt into the skip once. I have no idea what it was. Then the next time I looked, he had emptied it.
‘Now it just seems full of rubbish. It’s annoying because it’s a mess and blocking the path.
‘I don’t think it will devalue my property as we live a little further down the road but it might impact if you live directly next to it.
‘It has been like that for so long I honestly can’t see it getting better anytime soon.’
Tim Watson, 75, a conservator of old master paintings and family member of a resident along the street, said: ‘It’s a terrible mess.
‘I don’t know why you would constantly have a skip full of rubbish outside your house.
‘I don’t know why it is there. But it just seems to always be filled with rubbish.
‘And all those vans parked up next to it: they rarely ever move.
‘It blocks the pavements and we worry about my daughter’s children tripping up.
‘It is an eyesore.’
One man who lives nearby would only speak to MailOnline on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
He said Feely was carrying out ‘industrial work’ and ‘parks massive vehicles out in the road’, including one that ‘has no registration on it’.
He added: ‘He makes the road look disgusting – there’s industrial waste, dust on the road.
‘The council is doing nothing. They are not taking responsibility. Nothing is happening.
‘[Feely] is quite aggressive.
‘He’s got nothing to say he undertakes that sort of work there.
‘I don’t think he lives at the property. He turns up and he’s got five or six people who work there. It’s closed off.’
The man added: ‘I go to work every day. I work hard.
‘How is he getting away with it? I feel let down by the local authorities.
‘[Feely] makes the value of our house go down.’
An Epsom and Ewell councillor told MailOnline Feely was suspected of using the property as a ‘dumping ground for waste’ and admitted he was ‘not the most pleasant of people’.
Councillor Phil Neale, 75, has been investigating Feely’s actions at the house on Wolsey Close for four years.
He said: ‘There’s a suspicion that they have been used as a dumping ground for waste.
‘The trouble is people that do that are pretty canny people and run rings around the authorities.
‘It’s very sad for the residents. It’s very frustrating for them. There are things bubbling away underneath. When you get a multiple agency issue it does tend to slow.
‘He’s not the most pleasant of people but we are not going to just leave it. We are just dogged.
‘We live there, we feel the pain when our residents feel the pain.’
Dee Roberts, 79, who lives across from Feel’s skip, said: ‘I’ve seen multiple large vans blocking the road opposite my home, sometimes up to five.
‘I’ve only lived here for three years but I feel very sorry for people with children.
‘You can’t walk across the path. Occasionally I have seen cars parked in the middle of the road.
‘I think he has some dogs as well and some neighbours have complained about all the barking.
‘I would hate to live next door. It would be nice if some could be done about it.’
Tony McGrath, 48, a professional data analyst who has lived on the road for 18 years, said: ‘The skip is quite an eyesore.
‘It’s blocking the pavements too. It’s such a shame that it has been like that for a couple of years.’
The Environment Agency inspected the site but decided it was not an illegal waste facility and fell out of their remit.
Cllr John Beckett, Chair of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s Environment Committee, told MailOnline: ‘Epsom and Ewell Borough Council cares about our residents and communities, and we take any reports we receive very seriously.
‘We have been working with other agencies including Surrey Police and Surrey County Council to try and resolve this complex situation.
‘We are committed to finding a workable solution to this issue and will keep residents updated.’
Surrey Police said: ‘The Epsom and Ewell neighbourhood team is aware of this ongoing matter and are working with partner agencies, including the DVLA and Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, to reach a resolution.
‘Residents are urged to report any concerns or issues via webchat on our website https://www.surrey.police.uk/ ; online https://www.surrey.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/ or by calling us on 101.’
The DVLA confirmed that it works closely with its national wheel-clamping partner to tackle vehicle tax evasion by clamping or impounding any untaxed vehicles on the road and that it can take action against untaxed vehicles direct from its record, such as issuing late licensing penalties to the keeper.
Surrey County Council could not find a record of complaint about the issue and declined to comment.
Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell since 2001, also declined to comment.
Feely did not respond to requests for comment. When a reporter knocked on the door of the property, no one answered despite there being someone inside and four vans parked outside.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
