Curse of fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is a blight on our countryside and is prevalent even in some towns and cities where dumping rubbish is more likely to be spotted or caught on CCTV. Arresting the culprits is not easy; so when offenders are caught red-handed there is cause for rejoicing.

Two men who discarded piles of industrial material on to a country lane near Meriden in Warwickshire reckoned without the determination of local people to end this practice. They blocked in the vans to prevent their escape and called the police who, commendably, arrived shortly afterwards.

They made the men clear up the mess and then impounded their vehicles. It is to be hoped that this does not mean the local taxpayer will now pick up the bill for disposing of the rubbish. Moreover, the alleged offenders need to be dealt with firmly if others are to be deterred. Fines can be lower than the cost of disposal and prosecutions are rare.

Fly-tipping is getting worse and serious efforts are needed to stop it. There are an estimated 3,000 incidents across England every day, costing up to £58million each year to clear up. Rubbish dumped on private land like farms is the responsibility of the owner to clear away, often at considerable cost.

Part of the problem, without excusing anti-social behaviour, is a dearth of legitimate waste centres. Many are now for recycling only and councils are closing dumps. This just encourages the less scrupulous to fly-tip and costs more in the long run than keeping a centre open.

Some boroughs have accessible “mega-skips” into which materials can be discarded without charge, a practice that should be emulated, while the closure of household waste centres must stop.