Environment chief wants fly-tippers to feel the force
THE council’s environment chief says enforcement is the way to make sure rogue businesses and residents don’t take the “easy” option and worsen the problem of fly-tipping.
Cabinet member Coun Adrian Lythgoe was speaking at Rossendale’s recent full council meeting in response to a question about dumping in Whitworth around Eastgate, the River Spodden and Healey Dell
Nature Reserve.
Community First Coun Dayne Powell asked: “What can possibly be done about the flytipping?
“Fly-tipping is continually being cleaned up by the volunteers. It’s now worse than ever.”
The matter had previously been raised at Whitworth Town Council where Coun Kim Olaolu asked members what the town council could do regarding littering and tipping in Healey Dell. Volunteers spent lots of time clearing the area last spring, however that has now been undone by fresh outbreaks.
Coun Lythgoe told the meeting they do recognise the impact the issue is having on people’s lives.
“We have now started doing full Valley clean-ups once a month” he said.
“They came to a bit of a halt during the lockdown. Those are back now. That does make a huge difference. Sadly we do it and then it starts to come back.”
Coun Lythgoe went on to say that the “way forward” was enforcement, in which they have “invested heavily” as part of the ongoing Operation Trident, and added that the Public Protection Unit are going around all businesses to make sure they’ve all got proper waste disposal arrangements.
Referring to the financial struggles of many firms and not ensuring proper disposal, he said: “The reality is it is a fairly easy thing to do because it doesn’t cost them anything.
“We have to make sure we have got sanctions to stop that happening.
“I think we are getting better.
“Currently there are 41 fixed penalties that have been issued, and 40 pending prosecution.
“The whole process is quite lengthy, but we should see a more sustained stream of people going through that.
“Ideally penalties would be harsher but there is not much we can do about that. The bottom line is unless we can change human nature – which I think is unlikely, the way forward is prosecutions and to publicise the fines that people have been given.”