Local councils receive new powers to punish fly-tippers
Rory Stewart, the Environment Minister, stated today that any person caught illegally dumping waste could very soon end up with an on the spot fine of up to £400.
Starting from Monday, 9th May, councils will have additional means to fight crime by issuing fines of £150-£400 to the persons caught while fly-tipping anything from sofas, old fridges to rubble or garden waste.
The newest move in a government fight against waste crime is the introduction of fixed fines for fly-tipping, which costs the economy millions of pounds on a yearly basis in clean-up costs, badly influences the legitimate waste companies, and poses huge risks to our environment.
Rory Stewart, Environment Minister, said:
“I can’t believe that anyone feels it’s acceptable just to dump their waste by the road – whether in our countryside or our cities. These newly fixed fines will offer local councils additional methods to deal with the selfish individuals who blight our neighbourhoods and ruin our beautiful landscape.”
“Additionally, the fines will act as a deterrent, and we will proceed to work with councils to fight the cause of the crime and eventually change the mentality of the persons who commit it.”
Apart from acting as a deterrent, the fixed fines will also preserve council’s money and time in punishing offenders as they will offer a faster alternative to prosecuting fly-tippers on the courts. However, prosecutions will still be an option for local councils while punishing severe waste criminals.
The implementation of the fixed fines for fly-tipping was a show of commitment and comes ahead of the forthcoming launch of the national litter strategy.
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