A BUSINESS owner in Bradford who has run a wedding and events venue for the past two year has said he is being forced to close due to the scourge of fly-tipping.

Large amounts of rubbish have been tipped around The Fairmont, a wedding venue based in Ventnor Street off Leeds Road.

Jazz Gill has run the centre for the past two years, but has said due to the growing problem of fly-tipping around his business, along with other contributing factors, he is being forced to close down.

He said the problems have left him in a perilous financial position, leaving him with no option but to close down his business.

Items that have been fly-tipped in Percival Street, a road perpendicular to Ventnor Street, include beds, mattresses, fridge-freezers, and around 70 bin bags full of soil, which Mr Gill, 30, said have come from a cannabis farm.

Mr Gill said he has asked the Council for help with the fly-tipping, but the Council said it has cleaned up the area in the past and told Mr Gill and other business owners it is their responsibility to keep the street tidy.

Mr Gill said: “I am being more or less forced to close by the the fly-tipping.

“There are currently about 70 bags of soil from a cannabis farm, which have not been removed because it is in an unadopted road.

“My business is a wedding venue and it is not the nicest welcome for guests when you have this on your doorstep.

“I find it baffling that no-one is picking it up. There are beds, fridges, all sorts just dumped there.

“I have been based here for two years, and in recent weeks have probably had to give up around £200,000 worth of business because of the problems.

“I had just got married and had a child when I started the business, I started it to put a roof over my family’s head, and now I am facing the possibility of bankruptcy due to the problems I have had.”

Unadopted roads are highways that are not under the jurisdiction of local authorities, and the responsibility for their upkeep and clearing away any rubbish falls on the businesses based in the street.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “Our neighbourhood service cleansing teams have worked with residents and businesses for many years to clean up the area and remove fly-tipping, most recently being last November.

“However, this cannot go on. When there is unadopted land, the occupiers of properties adjoining the land are responsible for the upkeep.

“Mr Gill has been given advice on several occasions to improve security by adding CCTV cameras, lighting and fencing in order to prevent further incidents of fly-tipping.

“Anyone with any information about fly-tippers can call the Council’s Environmental Enforcement team on 01274 434366, or email eh.admin@bradford.gov.uk.”