Working together to halt fly tipping (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Working together to halt fly tipping

9:53am Sunday 4th March 2007 in Devizes By Raeanne Nightingale

The district council has teamed up with a land owner to tackle illegal dumping at a site on Redhorn Hill near Urchfont.

Reports of fly tipping and a request from Urchfont Parish Council lead to an investigation into fly tipping at an old chalk pit on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

Enforcement officers, alocal farmer and the parish council have been looking into it and the site was fenced off.

Soon after, the local authority arranged for the area to be cleared and also provided a permanent sign warning would be offenders of the consequences if caught illegally dumping.

Under tough new rules introduced under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005), fly-tipping is now an arrestable offence carrying a maximum fine of £50,000 or imprisonment.

Mark Smith, director of Environment and Leisure Services, said: "Our ability to mount surveillance operations means that would-be fly-tippers can never be sure that their anti-social actions won't be caught on camera, which may ultimately result in a court appearance and a large fine."

Peter Newell, chairman of Urchfont Parish Council, added: "Urchfont Parish Council is very pleased this area on Redhorn Hill has been cleared of rubbish and is grateful to the landowner and the district council for achieving the results that they have.

"It is a great shame that people with rubbish cannot simply take it to one of the District Household Recycling Centres in Devizes or Everleigh."