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Catching Fly-tippers on Camera
Posted on 05/06/2008
FLY-TIPPERS in and around Loughborough could find themselves caught on camera as Charnwood Borough Council plans to use state-of-the-art technology to catch offenders red handed.
Three different types of covert and overt cameras will be used at locations across the Borough as part of the Council’s latest attempt to crackdown on fly-tipping and ensure Loughborough and surrounding Charnwood remains a cleaner, greener place to live and work.
The cameras can be regularly moved to hotspots if needed and any footage of rubbish being illegally dumped could be used in court as evidence.
Chris Cary, Charnwood Borough Council’s Senior Enforcement Officer, said: “We are very pro-active in investigating fly-tips – and these cameras will help us track down the people dumping rubbish and putting a blot on the landscape.
“Cleaning up fly-tips costs Councils £76m a year nationally. Using these cameras will hopefully act as a deterrent and the evidence gained lead to more successful prosecutions with those responsible punished and paying the price.”
Cllr Mike Preston (Conservative councillor for Queniborough), Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Environment, added: “Anything that helps to create a better environment for Charnwood’s residents has to be welcomed.
“If using cameras to catch people dumping rubbish in the act leads to a reduction in the number of fly-tips in the Borough, then surely that can only be a good thing.”
Meanwhile, householders are being warned to ensure they employ registered firms to take away their waste – or risk being held responsible if the rubbish is illegally dumped.
Under the 1990 Environment Protection Act, residents could find themselves charged with a Duty of Care offence if waste which is fly-tipped is traced back to them.
Only companies or individuals that hold a Waste Carriers Licence can legally remove rubbish.
When a firm registered with the Environment Agency takes away unwanted items, they will give the residents a Controlled Waste Transfer Note which details when and what rubbish was removed. This protects residents if their rubbish is then illegally fly-tipped – and the company could then face prosecution for dumping the waste.
Five people have been prosecuted by Charnwood Borough Council in the last 12 months for duty of care offences – and more cases are in the pipeline.
Mr Cary added: “Alarm bells should be ringing if someone offers to take away waste for £30 or £40 cash in hand, no questions asked - that would not cover the costs of getting rid of the rubbish legally at a landfill site”.
“Some people might say that it’s unfair that they are being blamed for rubbish being dumped when they didn’t do it. But it is their responsibility to ensure that their waste is only removed by authorised persons, there is no excuse for fly-tipping and ignorance of the law is not a defence.
Cllr Preston added: “The Duty of Care regulations are not there to scare people – they are another weapon in the Council’s armoury to eliminate fly-tipping.
“The idea is to encourage people to think carefully about who they give their waste to.”
If you wish to book a free bulky waste collection, or find out more about the service, call Charnwood Borough Council on (01509) 634 563 or log on to www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/refusecollectionservice.html
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