Wiltshire council vow to tackle spate of fly tipping

Malmesbury Police confirmed that large amounts of beech hedging and conifer had been left in the road between Hankerton and Charlton this weekend, leaving it blocked.

This comes just weeks after large amounts of rubbish were abandoned on five lanes between the same two villages.

Image: Malmesbury Police (Image: Malmesbury Police)

Fly tipping has also been reported between Hankerton and Eastcourt in that time.

Councillor Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Streetscene, has now confirmed that the council are taking measures to tackle fly tippers.

He said: “We are aware of the fly tips at Hankerton and Charlton, both of which were green waste.

“We have a dedicated team of enforcement officers whose role it is to hunt down fly tippers and we will take steps to prosecute and stop these criminals.

“Clearing fly tips is a huge drain on our resources, both physical and financial, which would be better spent on providing other services for our residents”.

In a Facebook post, Malmesbury Police said the tips posed “a danger to road users and an expense to the community”.

Last year the council launched their We’re Targeting Fly-tipping campaign to raise awareness of the fact fly tipping is a criminal offence and to encourage members of the public to report offenders.

Cllr McClelland added: “Anyone who spots someone fly tipping in Wiltshire is encouraged to report the offender to us, and as a reward will receive up to £200 if this results in a successful prosecution.

However, the council have also warned that households and businesses may be held responsible if their waste is fly tipped by a third party.

“Fly tipping is carried out by both individuals and unlicensed traders and we urge people to avoid using a ‘man and a van’ or those advertising tip runs on social media without checking their credentials”, said Cllr McClelland.

“People have a responsibility to check the credentials of anyone removing their waste to ensure they are authorised to dispose of waste, this includes garden and tree works waste.

“Householders and businesses can be issued a fixed penalty notice (£400) or prosecuted if their waste has been fly tipped and reasonable checks have not been conducted on those who collected the waste.

“By checking and ensuring you only use authorised persons to dispose of your waste you will avoid a fine and help save us time and money.”

Fly tipping can reported by emailing environmentalenforcement@wiltshire.gov.uk or calling 0300 456 0100.