The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Council urged to take action on fly-tipping
No penalties issued to dumpers despite rising number of incidents
It appears if you want to get away with flytipping, dump your rubbish illegally in Perth and Kinross or neighbouring Angus.
New figures have revealed no enforcement action has been taken against dumpers despite 462 incidents in Perth and Kinross in 2013-14 and 471 in 2014-15.
Those caught fly-tipping can face a £40,000 fine or imprisonment but Perth and Kinross Council said it has “no dedicated enforcement officers”.
The council has now been told to “stop skimping on prevention” and get tough on fly-tippers who are blighting communities.
North East Scotland MSP Alex Johnstone said: “We simply cannot tolerate this and fly-tippers have to be aware that there are severe penalties for what they do.”
Rogue dumpers blighting beauty spots by illegally flytipping in Perth and Kinross and Angus are getting away scot free.
Figures obtained by The Courier have revealed that no enforcement action has been taken against dumpers despite 1,698 incidents in the past two years.
Dumping rubbish in public spaces is a growing problem that is costing councils across Scotland more than £50 million a year to clean up.
A spokesperson for Taxpayer Scotland said: “With both environmental services and maintaining the public health being key services for our councils, taxpayers should expect a strong focus on getting best value.
“If councils are skimping on prevention and so increasing follow-up costs by not policing miscreants, they are letting local people down in the use of their money. They really must find ways of reducing this problem and its startling costs.”
There were 396 reports of flytipping in Angus in 2013/14 and 369 last year, with 462 in Perth and Kinross in 2013/14 and 471 in 2014/15.
A fixed penalty notice can be issued on the spot to people caught flytipping but fines of up to £40,000 can be imposed by a sheriff if the case is taken to court.
However, the figures obtained by The Courier revealed none of these incidents in Angus or Perth led to enforcement action of any kind.
A spokeswoman for Angus Council said: “Whilst we do everything we can to track down flytippers, cases rely on good evidence, which is often very difficult to obtain, and so we call on residents who are aware of this activity to contact us with any information.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokeswoman said: “Where flytipping is identified or reported, officers from Perth and Kinross Council investigate the incident.
“There are no dedicated enforcement officers in the council. Where a perpetrator can be identified, a warning letter will be sent advising of the correct procedures and potential penalties.”
Elsewhere, Fife Council – which said it “vigorously” pursues offenders – recorded 3,333 incidents in 2013 and 3,350 last year. The council issued 300 fixed penalty notices in the past two years and 20 reports were made to the procurator fiscal.
Dundee City Council was the only local authority to refuse to give out its “environmental” figures in Courier Country unless a payment was received.
The responsibility for clearing litter or flytipped items from Scotland’s streets and public areas lies with councils and other bodies, such as Network Rail, Scottish Canals and also schools, colleges and universities. This is a duty given to them under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency says bulky domestic items make up 50% of flytipped waste.
We call on residents who are aware of this activity to contact us. ANGUS COUNCIL