Zero-tolerence for nuisance fly-tipping (From Gazette Series)

Zero-tolerence for nuisance fly-tipping

FLY TIPPING will not be tolerated - that is the message authorities in both Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire are sending out, a new report has revealed.

Authorities across the country are clamping down on fly tipping - the act of dumping unwanted household items in fields and by roadsides - according to figures released by the Local Government's Association's (LGA) Environment board.

The figures are part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs database on fly tipping, which was launched last year and aims to provide information nationally to help councils crackdown on people leaving rubbish illegally.

The LGA was instrumental in giving local authorities more power to deal with fly tipping in the form of the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Act.

Stroud District Council is one such authority that has embraced the new powers and is hoping to make some big improvements to its fly tipping records.

Between April 2004 to the same month this year, there were 406 reported incidents of fly tipping in the Stroud area.

Lisa Samak, technical contracts officer for Stroud District Council, said: "We have not been collating the figures for very long so we have nothing to compare them to but they do allow us to take a good look at the situation.

"Approximately 159 of the 406 reported incidents last year involved household waste which is surprising when we provide a waste collection service for household waste.

"People do not need to sneak around at night dumping - we can do that for them properly.

"We as a council are currently looking at enforcement and if we get a lead we follow it through.

"If we have enough evidence to support a case then we charge people for the cost of collection and disposal of the waste."

Ms Samak said that a hot spot for fly tipping in the area was at their recycling sites.

In South Gloucestershire, fly tippers are costing taxpayers more than £68,000 a year.

"Around 1,500 incidents of fly tipping were logged last year so it's clearly a significant problem in this area," said spokesman Matthew Rees. "It's such an unnecessary crime. These days Our Sort It recycling centres will accept most items of household rubbish so there's really no need for illegal tipping."

David Sparks, chairman of the LGA's environment board, said: "Fly tipping is a huge problem for councils and residents alike. It is essentially a health hazard as well as a blight on our environmental landscape.

"We can only reap from the benefits of stronger legislation and shared intelligence on this issue as prevention will result in a better quality of life for our communities with councils utilising their powers to tackle offenders through a maximum penalty of £50,000 and five years imprisonment as fly-tipping is a criminal offence."