Refuse team to clear out children's den (From Stroud News and Journal)

Refuse team to clear out children's den

A DUMPER truck and a six-strong team of refuse collectors are needed to clear a children's den near Cashes Green that has become choked with old furniture and rubbish.

Refuse contractors have told parish leaders that a major operation is needed to clean up the eyesore at Hamwell Leaze after local residents complained.

The site, in the patch of woodland behind Stroud fire station, is now clogged with old sofas, heavy timber, rotting mattresses and even a kitchen unit.

"Lord knows where it all come from," said Graham Barton, chairman of Cainscross Parish Council.

"We don't know whether it is fly-tipping or just people grabbing things out of tips and dragging it down."

The out-of-the-way location has been a favourite spot for teenagers to make dens in the past, but the parish council believes it may now be used by older youths for more sinister purposes.

"It could have started out as a children's den but there is no way kids could have dragged all that down there," said Cllr Barton.

"We worry it might be used by an unsavoury element."

Councillors have already met with Stroud District Council refuse contractors to discuss the problem - and they estimate it may cost as much as £3,000 to clear the site.

And Cllr Barton believes creating a well-used footpath through the site could deter any more den-builders.

"If we can get people walking through then it is not just some little hideaway," he said.

"We need to sort it out because it is a beautiful little spot."