Two teenagers and the owner of the vehicle they were travelling in have received formal cautions from Wigan Council after they were caught on CCTV dumping household waste.
The council’s Environmental Crime team set up a surveillance operation over the Christmas holidays to stamp out illegal tipping outside household waste recycling centres. Signs were also put up warning visitors that dumping outside the gates was an offence.
On 1 January 2008 a car was seen by council CCTV operators approaching the gates of the Chanters site in Atherton, which was closed. The car then left but pulled in a short distance away and the passenger was seen dumping two black bin bags at the side of the road.
Council investigators were soon on the case but discovered that the car’s occupants were only 16 and 17 years old.
Michell Woodburn, Safer Neighbourhoods Service Manager, warned that the pair could have faced court and received substantial fines for their actions. Michell said:
“We had a very strong case against the teenagers. However because of their ages and circumstances we decided to offer formal cautions in this instance.”
The surveillance operation, codenamed “Santa” was deemed a success with only one incident being caught on CCTV over the 2007 Christmas period. In 2006 more than 6 tonnes of waste was dumped illegally outside the Chanters site.
Michell added
“We would like to thank the public for their support in helping to reduce fly tipping in the borough and offer our reassurance that enforcement action will be taken against the minority of environmental criminals who blight our borough.”
Advice on how to report fly tipping and how to avoid the pitfalls of rogue waste contractors can be found on a new fly tipping section on the Council’s website.
