Crackdown on fly-tippers in Moray
Date Added - 27/05/09
Moray Council is to join forces with Grampian Police in mounting a month-long crackdown on illegal fly-tipping.
Last year the council dealt with 238 incidents of fly-tipping at a cost to the council taxpayer of more than £15,000.
Items dumped illegally included old washing machines, furniture, tyres and other vehicle parts, building materials and bags of household waste.
More unusual items which have been fly-tipped include a headstone, empty coffin and a canoe.
Council officers, community wardens and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency all have powers to issue a £50 fixed penalty for fly-tipping, although the maximum penalty available through the courts is £40,000.
Updated legislation means it is no longer necessary to catch culprits red-handed and fines can be issued if fly-tippers are identified from the materials dumped.
Operation Hot Spot will run throughout June, with Moray Council and Grampian Police working with the Forestry Commission and several local landowners to highlight the detrimental impact that fly-tipping has on the environment.
Hot Spot signs will be erected in areas where fly-tipping is a recurring problem, with a warning that covert CCTV equipment is being used to catch offenders.
Among locations favoured by fly-tippers are roadside verges, lay-bys, waste ground, industrial sites and riverbanks.
As well as looking unsightly, fly-tipping can be hazardous and cause environmental damage and Scottish local authorities currently spend in excess of £2.5million a year clearing up illegally dumped waste.
Councillor John Russell, chairman of Moray Council’s economic development and infrastructure services committee, welcomed the initiative and urged the public to help counter fly-tipping.
“Any progress being made to reduce fly-tipping is invaluable,” he said. “There is no excuse for dumping waste in an inappropriate manner because we have an excellent range of facilities for disposing of all kinds of waste.
“I would encourage every resident in Moray to help stamp out this blight on our landscape.”
Constable Roy Thomson, of Grampian Police, said: “There are specific and easily arranged uplifts for all manner of household waste products and I find it incredible that people take the time to load rubbish into vehicles in order to transport it to rural locations and then dump it.
“This practice is unacceptable and must stop. Along with our partners, Grampian Police are committed to doing everything we can to achieve this by educating the public while tracing and reporting those responsible.”
Council staff have also reported an increase in the volume of household waste being dumped at recycling points in local communities.
These recycling points are intended for recyclable materials such as bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.
Members of the public who see rubbish being dumped illegally should call the Dumb Dumpers Stop Line on 0845 230 40 90 or visit www.dumbdumpers.org.uk.
Incidents can also be reported to Moray Council on 01343 557045 or on the antisocial behaviour hotline on 0800 5877197.
