New ‘wall of shame’ idea in war on fly-tippers
FLY-TIPPERS in Birmingham are set to be named and shamed on social media as the council “declares war” on those who illegally dump rubbish.
Nottingham, a city around a third the size of Birmingham, has more than twice the amount of enforcement activity and fines per year.
The new council recommendations include a “wall of shame” idea borrowed from Barking and Dagenham Council in London.
The council posts episodes including CCTV footage of fly-tippers and encourages social media users to identify the culprits.
Cllr Marje Bridle (Lab), said: “The fly-tippers include rogue private landlords who often throw a load of stuff out onto the street.
“These people are villains and they are spoiling our city and we really do need to get tough.
“I am constantly contacted and hear heart-rending stories from people, and see it myself obviously – where people are living in streets full of fly-tipped rubbish.
“If we are lucky, the council clears it but obviously there are problems with resources. Next week it is back and often it is in the same places.”
New community protection officers will also be employed to tackle the problem.
Cllr John O’Shea, cabinet member for street scene and parks, said: “We should make no bones about this – fly-tipping is criminal. It blights our communities and often our poorest areas are hardest hit.
“People who carry this out are not wide boys in the mould of Del Boy. They are often steeped in the most serious offences – violent crime, drug dealing and modern slavery.
“If you pay a man with a van
£10 to take away your rubbish, it’s going to be dumped somewhere else in the city – not at an approved site.”
In 2019, 144 offenders were convicted in Birmingham and had to pay over £175,000. Currently around one vehicle a month is taken off the road.
But Cllr Robert Alden, leader of the Conservative Group, said it was “absolutely damning” that Nottingham has more than twice the number of fines for fly-tipping per year.
He added: “It shows what little enforcement has been happening in Birmingham.”