Council launches fly tipping initiative at Eton Ward

As part of East Staffordshire Borough Council’s commitment to combat fly tipping, a joint operation was held with partner agencies at Eton Ward in Burton upon Trent.

The initiative provided a high profile presence to address any fly tipping in the area and other environmental crime, including accumulations of waste on privately owned land.

The Teams were joined by Officers from Staffordshire Police and Trent & Dove Housing and resulted in the following:

• Seven cases of an accumulation of refuse on privately owned land which are under investigation.
• Two cases of fly tipping on highway land with no evidence to suggest the identity of the offender and no witnesses to the offence and which were removed.
• 27 large unwanted household items were collected by the East Staffordshire Borough Council’s Waste Management Team.
• Two large skips were provided by Eton Parish Council which were placed on Shakespeare Road for residents to dispose of any unwanted items
• A review of the existing mobile CCTV cameras currently deployed with consideration given to deployments to any additional areas.
• A report was received regarding the dog fouling bins at Eton Park which was signposted to the appropriate Team.
• An abandoned vehicle was reported by a resident which will be investigated.
• In addition, educational no fly tipping posters were given to premises to display and leaflets distributed to residents advising about the appropriate way to dispose of waste.

Fly tipping is not only a blight to residents and communities but costly to the tax payer in clear up costs, can serve as an attraction to rodents and other pests, is detrimental to local communities and can be hazardous to the local environment and to wildlife.

Fly tipping is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Officers can issue fixed penalty notices of £400 and the Courts have various powers available to them to deal with fly tipping, including imprisonment, unlimited fines and an order to deprive rights to a vehicle used to commit the offence.

Cllr Simon Slater, Cabinet Member for Communities and Regulatory Services, said: “It is vital that residents and businesses across the Borough are aware of what constitutes fly tipping so that they can take the precautions necessary to avoid committing such offences.

“I would remind residents to avoid leaving waste items on the pavement and to make sure anyone hired to collect waste presents the appropriate waste carriers licence.”

Residents are reminded where disposing of waste to adhere to the following:

• Do not leave any items on the pavement or on Council land. This includes items of furniture or fridge freezers and various items left out for ‘scrap collectors’. This will still be classed as flytipping and you could receive a Fixed Penalty Notice or be prosecuted.
• Ensure that anyone employed to take your waste away is reputable and licensed. Ask to see a copy of their waste carriers licence and also ask for a receipt (often called a ‘tipping note’) A legitimate waste carrier will not mind waiting whilst you make your enquiries. If the waste is later found fly-tipped and traced back, action can still be taken against you. You can receive a £200 Fixed Penalty Notice or be prosecuted for failing your duty of care.
• Checks can also be made by contacting the Environment Agency on: (03708) 506 506, Monday- Friday, 8am to 6pm or accessing the public register.
• Be aware that the Council offers a bulky waste collection service to collect and dispose of larger items. Bulky Items can be removed by the Council through the bulky waste collection service at a cost of £32.67 for up to three items with a fee of £7.62 for each additional item up to a maximum of ten. Fridges and freezers are charged at £21.78 per unit and a maximum of 3 can be collected.
• A bulky waste collection can be arranged via the East Staffordshire Borough Council website or by telephoning 0800 269098.

To report incidents of fly tipping, please telephone (01283) 508506 or report via the Council’s website.