First £400 on-the-spot fines issued to fly-tippers

Four fly-tippers have been handed on-the-spot fines of £400 by enforcement officers using new powers.

The council recently introduced Fixed Penalty Notices for the illegal dumping of waste as an alternative to the often lengthy and costly process of taking offenders to court.

The fines followed reports of fly-tipping of:

• General waste on Belmont Road, Radcliffe
• House clearance waste at Ferngrove, Bury
• Household refuse at the former East Lancs Paper Mill, Radcliffe
• Household items on Fountain Street, Bury.

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, climate change and operations, said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal offence; it’s disgusting and there is no excuse for it. It blights neighbourhoods and the countryside, is a threat to local wildlife and livestock, is a source of pollution and a danger to public health. It also attracts other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“On top of that, cleaning it up takes resources away from other council services which local taxpayers want their money spending on - last year we spent approximately £70,000 on clearing away fly-tipping.”

Cllr Quinn added: “We have just taken on two new enforcement officers to tackle this problem, which has already resulted in these fixed penalty notices being issued.

“I’d also like to thank the many community volunteers across the borough who help to clear up waste, and they can play an important role in gathering the intelligence we need to carry out enforcement.”

Cllr Quinn added that there had been a noticeable increase in advertisements on social media for unlicensed waste removal services. “Every individual and business has a duty of care to ensure they correctly dispose of their waste,” he said, “and many unsuspecting householders are being caught out by these rogue traders, drawn by their attractive low rates compared to legitimate operators.

“I urge residents to check their credentials before using them. Remember – if fly-tipped waste can be traced back to its owner, the owner can be fined even if they had acted in good faith and were not aware the waste was going to be fly-tipped.”

Residents should ask any waste carrier for their address and telephone number, their waste carrier licence, and ask where their waste will be taken to. You can carry out an instant (and free) check of their credentials via the Environment Agency: https://environment.data.gov.uk/publicregister/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

There are 21 recycling centres in Greater Manchester where residents can take their waste free of charge for disposal. Details: https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10838

ENDS

Press release issued: 10 August 2021.