Council plan £400 fine to curb flfly-tipping fly-tipping problem

Fly-tippers could soon face hefty fines as part of a council crackdown against those who flout the rules and blight the countryside.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) officer Tracey Butler has penned a report which will be discussed at tonight’s (Thursday) cabinet meeting which calls for £400 fixed penalty notices to be introduced to curb the problem.

She says that local authorities spend £50 million a year dealing with an average of 900 incidents each, and fears that the rate of fly-tipping continues to grow.

ABC currently has a deal with its waste contractor Biffa that small incidents of dumped waste will be cleared free of charge in an agreement which saved an estimated £48,700 last year, while for larger amounts the council gets charged.

Her report states that contractors search rubbish to find evidence of where it has come from, and if a homeowner or company is identified then they could face the £400 fine.

The crackdown follows ABC leader Gerry Clarkson’s pledge to get tough on those who flout the rules. It began with the introduction of litter wardens who started patrolling the town centre in September last year, issuing £75 on-the-spot fines to litterbugs.

Last month the Kentish Express reported that the contractor Kingdom, which runs the litter wardens service, had collected £62,625 in fines.

The council previously took a window company to court for flytipping and the firm was fined £750, but officers want to avoid costly and lengthy court battles as the council doesn’t recoup the money paid to the court.

Ms Butler said the council is still set to take another company to court and is investigating two other firms.

Clair Bell, cabinet portfolio holder for borough presentation, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on the landscape for all local authorities to deal with.

“Setting a fixed penalty notice at the maximum amount is a clear indication of how seriously this authority views this offence and the strong stance we take on enforcement.”

The cabinet meeting will take place at 7pm tonight at the Civic Centre in Tannery Lane.

Cllr Clair Bell says setting fixed penalty notice at top amount indicates how serious issue is