Crackdown On Local Fly Tipping

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Even residents who leave out rubbish unprotected could be fined

Wandsworth's beefed-up team of litter inspectors has issued 276 on-the-spot-fines since three new members of staff began working with them on May 1.

The £80 fines must be paid within 14 days. Failure to do so results in a court summons being issued where fines of up to £2,500 can be imposed.

The team is also preparing witness statements for use in six potential magistrates court prosecutions against individuals and businesses who have committed more serious fly tipping offences. These can lead to unlimited fines and jail sentences of up to six months. 


As well as sending out plain clothes patrollers, the squad is using small portable CCTV cameras at various hotspots to gather evidence to prosecute offenders.

They are also targeting businesses that are not fulfilling their legal obligation to have a written contract with a licensed commercial waste removal company. Some shops, restaurants and other businesses try to avoid having to pay to have their waste collected, preferring instead to dump it on street corners.

Some landlords also leave worn-out mattresses and unwanted furniture on pavements rather then pay to have these items disposed of properly when their tenancies change.

The team is targeting these types of cases along with residents who don’t use lidded dustbins to store their binbags, but instead leave them out unprotected long before their scheduled weekly collection day allowing wild animals - like foxes - and neighbourhood cats plenty of time to rip them open and spill the contents all over the pavement.

They are particularly targeting the unlicensed waste removal operators who drive around the streets looking for large items of waste to collect, and having taken money to dispose of it properly simply drive around the corner and dump it.

The council’s director of housing and community services, Brian Reilly, said, “Our new additions to the team have had an immediate impact and enabled us to carry out much more of the enforcement work that our residents tell us they want to see.

“We now have staff working in plain clothes and at the times of the day and night when flytippers are at their most active, which is why they have caught so many rubbish dumpers in such a short space of time.

“We will be looking to build on that success and make sure the message gets home to people that we are stepping up our efforts against litterbugs and flytippers.”

Since April 2014 the town hall has brought 106 prosecutions to court for waste offences and issued a total of 1,329 on-the-spot litter fines.

To report a flytip email wasteservices@wandsworth.gov.uk. Businesses can find full details about their legal responsibilities at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/waste.

 

June 15, 2016