Action to tackle fly-tipping and littering crimes

Tamworth Borough Council receives over £25,000 government grant to help tackle fly-tipping Introducing mobile camera’s in fly-tipping hotspots and ‘Littercam’ trial to tackle littering from vehicles Plus, environmental improvements to reduce further fly-tipping

Tamworth Borough Council is taking action to reduce the crimes of fly-tipping and littering within the borough.

The council have successfully bid for £25,375 of grant funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to tackle the scourge of fly-tipping and littering at hotspots in the area and trial of Littercam to identify littering from vehicles.

Funding has also been awarded for environmental improvements at hot spots to deter further fly-tipping.

Mobile cameras will now be available to use at fly-tipping hot spots to catch fly-tipping criminals in the act, this information will then be used to track offenders and take enforcement action to bring those responsible to account.

The funding also allows a ‘Littercam’ trial to tackle littering from vehicles. Tackling littering along key routes and identified hot spots is a priority for the council and local people alike. With Littercam, the council will be able to use vehicle identification and pinpoint technology to identify the items being thrown from the vehicle, so perpetrators can be issued with Fixed Penalty Notices. If this trial proves effective, it could be used elsewhere in the borough, including the A5 with the permission of the Highways Agency.

Finally, the funding allows the council to make environmental improvements in fly-tipping hot spot areas to tackle fly-tipping in the longer term.

Councillor Martin Summers, Cabinet member for Voluntary Sector, Town Centre, Evening Economy & Community Safety, said:

“We’re serious about tackling the perpetrators of these crimes head on, and this funding from DEFRA really allows us to up our game in confronting the issues. Fly-tipping is not only an eyesore, but also a crime and can lead to a big fine or a prison sentence.

“As a council, we spend a significant amount of council taxpayers’ money clearing litter and fly-tipping from those few individuals who flout the law. This money could be spent elsewhere if individuals acted responsibly and disposed of their waste appropriately.

“Council data shows that over 80% of fly-tipping are household items, with over 60% of those being small van loads, so many could be from criminals offering to take waste cheaply.

In Tamworth, the council collect litter and waste seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year, including bank holidays, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Residents who need to get rid of large items are being urged to take them to a household recycling centre or use the bulky waste collection service provided by Tamworth Borough Council. Full details can be found on the council website here: Bulky waste collections | Tamworth Borough Council.

Residents may not be aware that if they pass their waste on to someone who goes on to dump it unlawfully, then they run the risk of being prosecuted for duty of care offences themselves, or if they leave items out for scrap men go on to dump them unlawfully. The Right Place website gives more information about correctly disposing of waste.

To report fly tipping using the online Report It form on the council MyTamworth portal, on the council website, or call: 01827 709709. You may be asked to make a written statement about what you saw.

If you see somebody you suspect of fly-tipping, please if possible, make a note of:

• The day, date and time you saw the tipping.
• How many people were involved, what they looked like and what they were doing
• Any vehicles involved - if possible the make, colour and registration number
• What was tipped: How much and what it looked like