Maximum fines introduced for those found guilty of fly-tipping and other environmental crimes

Anyone caught fly-tipping in Tamworth to receive £1,000 fixed penalty notice fine Anyone caught littering, fly-posting or damaging property with graffiti to receive £500 fixed penalty notice fine Part of Tamworth Borough Council priorities to crack down on the anti-social behaviour and environmental crime

Tamworth Borough Council have announced a series of new fines in an effort to further crackdown on anti-social behaviour and environmental crime.

Cabinet approved new maximum fines at their meeting on the 30 November. With fines for those caught fly tipping set at £1,000 and fines for those caught littering, fly-posting or damaging property with graffiti set at £500.

Anyone caught carrying out these crimes will receive a fixed penalty notice (FPN) and must pay the fine or risk court action.

A new Fixed Penalty Notice and fine of £600 is also being introduced for those households who fail to make sure they are using an appropriate registered waste carrier to dispose of waste.

Council data shows that eight out of 10 fly-tips in Tamworth are household items, with over six out of 10 of these being small van loads, so many could be from criminals offering to take waste cheaply, or from those carrying out cheap garden or house maintenance jobs.

Fly-tipping is simply the dumping of any waste where it shouldn’t be, whether that be a mattress, a bin bag of rubbish, old carpet, garden waste or construction waste. All fly-tipping is illegal. Even if you pay someone to take away your waste; if it gets dumped, you are responsible.

Raising the level of fines is part of Tamworth Borough Council’s strong stance on tackling anti-social behaviour, in particular environmental crimes which impact on the wellbeing of those affected.

These new fines add to Tamworth Borough Council’s work to crack down on fly-tipping and littering. With six cameras installed at fly-tipping hotspots, and mobile litter cams in key areas, work is already happening to catch those responsible in an effort to reduce these crimes. It is only possible to issue FPNs with absolute evidence or a witness statement; the CCTV cameras are designed to provide that evidence.

The increase in fines is possible due to a change in the maximum fine levels determined by government, who as part of their action to tackle anti-social behaviour across the country announced in May 2023 new limits to maximum level fines when FPNs are used.

Where a fly-tipping FPN is not considered proportionate, an automatic prosecution for these offences can be enforced, which could result in fines up to £50,000 and imprisonment.

Councillor Martin Summers, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Health and Community Partnerships, said: “Cracking down on environmental crime and in particular fly-tipping is something we are taking very seriously.

“Tamworth Borough Council spends 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.

“Fly-tipping is a criminal offence therefore we feel it is only right that we are increasing the FPN. I would strongly urge anyone who witnesses an offence, to contact us on 01827 709709, or report it online at www.tamworth.gov.uk/street-issues.

“Dispose of your waste correctly and avoid any fines.”

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 go on to dump them unlawfully. The Right Place website gives more information about correctly disposing of waste. Now those who do not check where their waste is going and use registered waste carriers could receive a fine of £600. This includes ad-hoc work to your home such as tree-pruning, gardening and home renovations.

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 - the make, colour and registration number
• What was tipped: How much and what it looked like

More details can also be found here: Littering and Fly-tipping | Tamworth Borough Council