Fly Tipping, the illegal disposal of controlled waste, is a criminal offence and the Council has a dedicated team of highly trained and skilled officers who investigate illegal waste activity. The Environmental Crime Team take enforcement action against householders and businesses who either illegally deposit their waste or do not ensure their waste is collected by a registered waste carrier. A range of actions available include warnings, formal cautions, prosecution in Magistrates and/or Crown Court, vehicle seizures and injunctions. Offenders will also have to pay any costs of the investigation, clean up, vehicle recovery costs and legal fees.
Penalties
Fly Tipping is an arrestable offence and the maximum penalties are:
- In Magistrates Court - Fine £50,000 and / or 12 months in prison
- In Crown Court - Unlimited fine and / or 5 years in prison
- Forteiture of vehicle used for fly tipping
- ASBO (Anti Social Behaviour Order) or CRASBO following conviction
- Driving Bans, Community Punishment Orders, Conditional Discharge, Formal Cautions, Costs Awards, Referral Orders
- £300 Fixed Penalty Fines for failing to produce waste transfer notes
- £300 Fixed Penalty Fines for failing to produce waste carrier's registration certificate
- £2,500 fine for dropping litter
If you wish to report fly tipping or have witnessed someone dumping rubbish and you are willing to help in the investigation, the Environmental Crime Team will be pleased to hear from you. You can report fly tipping or illegal waste activity by contacting the Environmental Services Helpline on 01942 404364.
Surveillance CCTV
The team also use the latest state of the art CCTV and covert surveillance systems in the war against fly tippers. They can tap into the Council’s vast resource of around 600 CCTV cameras and use the latest in rapid deployment and covert, remotely operated cameras to capture evidence. Several successful prosecutions have been achieved by using CCTV and in some areas fly tipping has been reduced to zero thanks to CCTV, manned surveillance, warning signs and publicity following successful prosecutions and heavy fines.
Fly Tipping outside Chanters Household Waste Recycling Centre – Before and After a special operation set up by the Environmental Crime Team.
