Fly tippers targeted

21 Oct 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

Northumberland County Council is clamping down on fly-tippers using a combination of education, engagement and enforcement.

In the last six months the number of recorded fly tips has increased, mainly due to some ‘hot spot’ urban areas in the south east of the county. 

As the rise is predominantly focused in two residential areas the council will be deploying its resources to those areas to quickly tackle this growing problem.

Whilst part of the rise is due to improvements in recording methods and street cleansing arrangements, the activity of a small minority is causing a growing concern.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Local Services, said: “Over the last two years, through partnerships with a number of town councils, the numbers of staff dealing with fly tipping has increased.

“We have more enforcement officers and more front-line clean up staff to remove rubbish quickly and to try and tackle the people who are causing the problem. Despite this fly tipping in some areas is still increasing.

“Almost all this is down to household waste being dumped in back alleys or on the road or pavement, so we will work with the communities where the hotspots are to enlist their support in tackling the minority of individuals who blight their neighbourhoods to ensure they are clear this is totally unacceptable and won’t be tolerated.”

“Following the launch of our litter campaign, where we are encouraging people to love where they live, we’re working with those communities to tackle this blight.

“As well as supporting people to dispose of their waste responsibly and reminding them of the ways they can do this, the council will be increasing its efforts to identify and hold to account those small number of people who continue to dump their rubbish.”

People found fly-tipping can face an on-the-spot fine of £400 or up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court.