A FRAMPTON Cotterell farmer has expressed his frustration at fly-tipping in the area, after spotting asbestos dumped on a nearby bridle way.

The landowner has asked not to be named, in an effort to minimise the risk of further rubbish being left on his property.

He said: "I reported it to South Gloucestershire Council and they sent out a team in protective coveralls, who cleared it up.

"This is a regular occurrence and it must be costing the council a lot to come and clear it up every time.

"The situation has got worse over the last couple of years, because it's harder for traders, as they've now got to pay to dump their rubbish at the tip.

"Fly tippers used to dump rubbish in our fields, but now I've padlocked all the gates, and so they have started dumping rubbish in the bridle ways instead."

The farmer is now suggesting that motion sensitive cameras could be put up in fly-tipping hotspots, to act as a deterrent, saying that the price of cameras would be much cheaper than sending out council staff to clear up the mess.

Cllr Heather Goddard, South Gloucestershire cabinet member responsible for communities, said: “We have had two reports of fly tipping in this particular area recently and both have now been cleared.

“During March, we had about five incidents of larger scale fly tips of building materials in South Gloucestershire, including one in Frampton Cotterell, which is why we have been proactively raising awareness about this issue as we need the public’s help in order to crackdown on this type of envirocrime.

"You can help us by reporting fly tipping in the following ways: online at www.southglos.gov.uk/flytipping, email streetcare@southglos.gov.uk or call our Street Care helpdesk on 01454 868000.

"If the fly tip is on private land however it is the landowner’s responsibility.

“Our zero tolerance approach to envirocrimes has resulted in a number of successful prosecutions over the last 12 months so where we find evidence to link to the perpetrator be in no doubt that we will take legal action.

“Residents also have a responsibility to ensure any waste they pay to have taken away by a waste company is disposed of appropriately. And there are a few simple steps you can follow to ensure the contractor complies.

“They need to hold a Registered Waste Carriers Licence. Ask for a copy of the company’s waste carrier registration certificate and ask where the waste is being taken.

"Legitimate firms will be happy to provide this information.

"Do not be tempted to use people offering cheap waste clearance on sites such as Facebook and Gumtree unless you have confirmed that they are registered with the Environment Agency.

“Check whether the waste carrier is registered by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506 or by checking on their website.

“Ask for a registered trading address and contact telephone number for the trader and get a receipt for the job.”