Steve Bolchover: Fly-tipping crackdown

The local authority's clean-up costs for rubbish, fly-tipped in back lanes, roadsides and beauty spots, have rocketed.

Neath Port Talbot environmental health chief Steve Bolchover said detecting and prosecuting offenders was also taking up all the time of one of his officers.

Culprits who are caught can end up with their vans being seized, impounded and crushed.

"By the end of March, we had taken 20 cases for fly-tipping to court," said Mr Bolchover.

Many of the commercial culprits do not want to pay landfill charges

Steve Bolchover, Neath-Port Talbot Council

"The whole purpose of taking offenders to court is to ensure other people do not fly tip.

"The courts have given us their backing, with fines in the region of several hundred pounds."

Mr Bolchover added: "A lot of tipping offences are domestic. It would not cost them anything to call the council to have items collected.

"Many of the commercial culprits do not want to pay landfill charges.

"Our record of recycling in this area is not good, probably not even five per cent."

The authority pays a landfill tax of �13 per tonne for domestic waste which is set to increase by �2 over the next 2 years.

Disposal costs at present are �16.34 per tonne per annum.

Up to 100 tyres are found dumped every week

Members of the public who want to dispose of "small" amounts of refuse are not charged by the "owners" of the landfill site for disposal.

However, commercial businesses who need to get rid of materials are charged the going rate per tonne.

The disposal of used tyres is also a major headache for the local authority.

Landfill sites do not accept tyres, they advise members of the public to take them to recognised tyre fitting firms which charge for disposal.

The charge for disposal is 85 pence for each tyre or �3.85 if it is fitted on a wheel.

The council have estimated that up to 100 are being found abandoned every week.

The illegal fly-tipping of tyres is a growing problem which has been undoubtedly assisted by landfill charges

Wynford Jones, head of streetcare services

The council's head of streetcare services, Wynford Jones, said: "It seems that because of the charges a lot of unscrupulous people are just dumping the tyres anywhere.

"It is very difficult to trace the people responsible.

"It is a growing problem which has been undoubtedly assisted by landfill charges."

Proceeds from fines issued to fly-tippers are paid into Treasury coffers.