300 extra incidents of fly-tipping recorded in just one county area
INCIDENTS of fly-tipping have surged across one district since the coronavirus outbreak began.
Charnwood Borough Council has revealed it dealt with 1,368 fly-tips between April and December 2020, compared with 1,068 during the same period in 2019.
A spokeswoman for the authority said: “There could be many reasons why there has been an increase in fly-tipping, but it is a criminal offence and unacceptable.
“People need to take individual responsibility for disposing of their waste correctly and only use a registered waste carrier who has a licence from the Environment Agency.
“We investigate all reported fly-tips and when evidence is recovered we can prosecute people in court, with a potential of an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison, or issue fixed-penalty notices.”
Fines totalling £1,200 for fly-tipping and a duty of care offence were handed out last year following incidents of rubbish being dumped in Shepshed and Syston.
Two fixed-penalty notices for £400 each were issued for separate incidents in Charley Road, Shepshed, the first in July and the second in November.
A £400 notice was also given for a duty of care offence for rubbish dumped in Meadow Lane, Syston, which was traced back to the household from where it came. All three fly-tips contained general household items, bags of waste and cardboard.
In November, there was a fly-tip near Mountsorrel Cemetery, where a large pile of waste including a chair, suitcase, wooden frame, rug and bags of rubbish were dumped.
In another incident, a massive pile of building material was left by fly-tippers across Betty Hensers Lane, in Mountsorrel, in August.
The council issued 24 fixed-penalty notices for fly-tipping offences in 2019 and 2020, and, since 2015, Charnwood has successfully brought 25 prosecutions, with offenders receiving a total of £23,162 in fines and costs plus a criminal record.
If you spot an incident of fly-tipping report it on the Charnwood Borough Council website or call 01509 634 564.