ENVIRONMENTAL health officers are attempting to track down the rightful owner of a patch of land in Glusburn which has become a make-shift dumping ground.

Residents living around Bungalow Road have been complaining for years about the state of the land near their homes.

When the Craven Herald visited the site this week, there were car parts, gas bottles and oil drums piled up just yards away from people's gardens.

But environmental health officers are powerless to do anything about the state of the land until they can trace its rightful owner.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said the land had been a dumping ground ever since her family moved into the area two years ago.

"We moved in in April 1997 and since then it's just got worse and worse," she said.

"First of all it was just the odd car and then these oil drums started appearing and we didn't really know what was in them.

"We are told that it was all going to be cleared but since then nothing has happened."

Coun Peter Seward, Craven District Council representative for the area, said the dumping had gone on long enough.

"It's got to the point where children are climbing over the wall and using it as an adventure playground," he said.

"It's just a disaster waiting to happen and it's been a real menace for years.

"It seems as if it's an eyesore that nobody wants to take responsibility for and Craven District Council should have some sort of powers to dispose of the rubbish and charge the owner for it."

Phil Houston, from Craven District Council's environmental health department, said investigations were continuing in an attempt to find the owner of the land.

"We are aware of the person who says they own it but it seems someone else has the title deeds," he said.

"What we're trying to do is resolve the matter of ownership before we can use legislation to try to clear up the accumulation of material on the site.

"We have served a notice on someone asking them to give us the information as to who actually owns the land, but so far nothing has come back."

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