Taking action to prevent fly-tipping

Many lawbreakers are using farm land and rural spaces to illegally dump waste as opposed to using a lawful method of disposal.

This can be a frustrating problem for the victims of fly-tipping, but according to Lycetts, a Shropshire-based provider of agricultural insurance, there are things victims can do to tackle the issue, as well as steps to take to prevent the problem in the first place.

There have been a series of fly-tipping cases across the Telford area this year, including one where a large pile of waste was dumped at the recycling centre next to the petrol station at Tesco on the Wrekin Retail Park.

Reporting on ITV’s freedom of information request, The Daily Telegraph revealed just how much of a problem fly-tipping has become for the UK. Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton went as far as to say that the crime has reached “crisis levels” throughout the country.

“Fly-tipping is an epidemic, it’s reached crisis levels and something needs to be done about it.” Ms Ogden-Newton stated. “Local authorities are overwhelmed with instances of criminal fly-tipping and we need to address this urgently.”

Efforts are being carried out to attempt to tackle the issue of fly-tipping.

The BBC released figures from 2016 and 2017 that showed 1,602 prosecutions took place for fly-tipping across England. What’s more, 98 per cent of prosecutions made resulted in a conviction. During the same time period, councils across England served 56,000 fixed penalty notices in regards to cases of fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is considered a criminal offence, and carries a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment. This includes those who permit fly-tipping to take place on any land that they own.

However, James Cuthbertson, an account executive at Lycetts, said: “Fines of up to £40,000 can be imposed but, given budgetary constraints, the pursuit of fly-tippers is well down the list of priorities of councils and the police. Furthermore, it is hard to gather evidence to bring a successful prosecution.”

If fly-tipping occurs on someone’s land, they are responsible for clearing away the waste that has been left. They are urged to record everything they can, including where they located the waste, as well as taking photographs if possible. After all details have been recorded, they should report the case of fly-tipping to the local authority. “In the event you wake one morning to find the midnight cowboys have paid you a visit, if the problem is severe, it is worth consulting with your insurance broker,” Mr Cuthbertson said. “Most farm combined policies will cover the cost of removal and disposal, less an excess. In the event of a major fly-tipping incident, you could be very glad the cover is in place.”

If you observe fly-tipping taking place, make sure you keep yourself safe. As the practice is illegal, people are unlikely to take kindly to their crime being observed. Do not confront the guilty parties, but instead immediately call 999 and then make a note the number of people involved, descriptions of their appearances, details about the waste being fly-tipped and information about any vehicles used – this includes the makes of the vehicles, their colours and their registration numbers if you can make it out.

There are measures people can implement to keep their land from becoming a fly-tipping spot.

Lockable gates restrict access to land and should be kept shut when not in use. Strategically placing physical barriers around the perimeter makes it difficult for vehicles to get through.

Fly-tippers will be put off from targeting land if they think they’ll get caught. Therefore, people are urged to work on improving visibility all around their property and its land, make sure high-quality exterior lighting is installed and in working condition, and set up CCTV cameras and appropriate signs alerting people of the technology’s presence.