Fines were issued to people in one part of Merseyside after mounds of rubbish were dumped outside a church
Fly tipping found outside St Dominic Church in Knotty Ash(Image: Knowsley Council)
“Waste cowboys” will have their vehicles crushed and face up to five years in prison as part of a new crackdown on fly-tippers. These are just two of the suggestions which form part of a government review into soaring fly-tipping on Britain’s streets, lanes and rural areas.
Last month, the Government announced plans to support local authorities in taking action against fly-tippers. Local authorities across the country will be empowered to act “much more aggressively” and will work with police to identify, seize and crush vehicles of “waste criminals”.
A Government statement warned: “Waste cowboys will now face up to five years in prison for operating illegally”. Drones and mobile CCTV cameras will be deployed to identify cars and vans belonging to fly-tippers so they can be destroyed.
Ministers have also launched a rapid review to “slash red tape” blocking councils from seizing and crushing vehicles. Councils across Merseyside currently have to bear the significant cost of seizing and storing vehicles but under new proposals, fly-tippers will cover this cost, saving taxpayers money, according to a statement from Knowsley Council.
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said: “Waste criminals and fly-tippers who blight our towns and villages have gone unpunished for too long.
“The Government is calling time on fly-tipping. I will not stand by while this avalanche of rubbish buries our communities. Under the Plan for Change, this Government will seize and crush fly-tippers vans’ to clean up Britain’s streets.”
The review launched on Tuesday April 29 is expected to wrap up by the end of the summer, but local authorities will receive no additional cash to tackle the problem. Mr Reed added: “In the most recent Budget, councils got a nearly 7% increase in their funding. That was the biggest increase for years.”
The Environment Agency will also carry out identity and criminal record checks on operators in the sector so there is nowhere to hide for rogue firms. It will be handed more resources and will be able to fund the cost of policing the industry through permits, boosting its powers and cutting costs.
Philip Duffy, Environment Agency Chief Executive, said: “Waste crime is toxic. Criminals’ thoughtless actions harm people, places, and the economy, blighting our communities and disrupting legitimate businesses.
“At the Environment Agency, we’re determined to bring these criminals to justice through tough enforcement action and prosecutions. That’s why we support the Government’s crackdown on waste criminals, which will ensure we have the right powers to shut rogue operators out of the waste industry.”
The reforms will also give councils more power to revoke permits, issue enforcement notices and hefty fines. Knowsley Council announced two recent examples of action taken by the local authority against fly-tippers including an incident where mounds of rubbish were dumped outside St Dominic’s Church in Knotty Ash.
The council confirmed two £400 fixed penalty notices had been issued to a resident of Wood Road, Halewood for a fly-tip and a resident of Churchtown Close, Knotty Ash for admitting responsibility for fly-tipping at St Dominic Church. Both sites have now been cleared.
Cllr Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: “We all want to live in welcoming, clean and safe neighbourhoods but we also know that it’s just a minority of people that cause issues for others and blight their community.
“That’s why our Environmental Health team will take robust action against those who don’t comply with our advice and guidance and ultimately break the law.”