Cotswold Chatterblog

Date: June 16, 2008

Fly-tipping in the Cotswolds will not be tolerated.

That is the message from Cotswold District Council following yesterday’s (Mon 16th June) successful prosecution at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court.

Daniel Winter, of Wick Hill, Stow-on-the-Wold was ordered to pay a total of £565 in fines and costs after admitting dumping rubbish on the Calmsden to Fosse Cross road in January 2008.

Mr Winter dumped five black bags and a cardboard box containing household rubbish as well as a TV. The waste included some large knives.

Cotswold District Council Environmental Protection Officer Hilary Beach said: “Fly-tipping is a serious environmental crime and Council Tax payers have to foot the bill for clearing it up.

“The message this case sends out is that fly-tipping will not be tolerated in the Cotswolds and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice. Everyone has a duty of care to ensure their rubbish is disposed of properly and we will actively investigate every case of fly-tipping by working closely with all the other enforcement agencies. We have a number of other ongoing investigations which could also lead to enforcement action being taken.”

Fly-tippers face a maximum fine of £50,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to one year.

The Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) this week launched a consultation with proposals to increase the penalties and to give local authorities new powers to target offenders.

“We will keep a close eye on Defra’s proposals,” added Mrs Beach. “We obviously welcome any additional tools which will enable us to tackle these environmental criminals.”

Householders are advised to check that anyone carrying out work on their property has a waste carrier’s licence which will enable them to dispose of the waste responsibly.

Traders seeking advice about applying for a waste carrier’s licence should contact the Environment Agency at enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk or by calling 08708 506506.

Source: Cotswold District Council

Tags: cotswolds

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