Fly-tippers have 'no shame' over dumping waste

Fly-tippers have "no shame", a landowner who fears the problem is getting worse has said.

Ralph Rayner, of the Ashcombe Estate near Dawlish in Devon, has seen everything from old sofas and mattresses, to the "entire contents" of a garden shed dumped.

Teignbridge District Council said it was "committed to tackling fly-tipping" while in Cornwall the council is using cameras at hot-spots to catch offenders.

The government said it was "giving authorities the tools they need to fight back" against "waste criminals".

"It's depressing isn't it? And it makes me angry", said Rayner of the fly-tipping he has seen on his estate, which includes farmland, woods and moorland.

"Ultimately, the penalties are not high enough and fly-tippers are not being held to account", he added.

"If we weren't here to clear it up, the problem would be much bigger."

In a statement Teignbridge District Council said it was "committed to taking a proactive and robust approach to tackling fly‑tipping across the district", adding "where evidence exists, we investigate thoroughly and take appropriate enforcement action".

Both local councils and the Environment Agency can prosecute fly-tippers, which takes action depending on the location, size and nature of the waste dumped.

"People don't want to see this in the countryside," said Sarah-Jane Brown, group leader of community protection and parking enforcement at Cornwall Council.

"Using pro-active covert surveillance operations, we're catching more and more people.

"We've recently prosecuted a man who was caught fly-tipping six or seven times."

She added: "People can face an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison for fly-tipping.

"A big part of the problem is we have a lot of unlicensed people who are picking up waste for a small amount of money and then disposing of it illegally.

"People need to check the companies they are using are legal waste carriers."

"On average, each clear-up costs the landowner about £1,900," said Ann Maidment, director for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the South West.

"Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful countryside.

"We see mattresses, industrial waste, asbestos fly-tipped. It can be really serious for the landowner to manage.

"We want to see better penalties that reflect the seriousness of the crime and there isn't effective enforcement.

"We would also like to see new ways of managing clear-ups and supporting the victims of the crime, which are the landowners.

"We'd like to see permits to allow landowners to remove the rubbish without bearing the huge cost."

A government spokesperson said:

"Waste criminals scar our countryside and make life miserable for the communities forced to live alongside illegal dumps. We are determined to stop them.

"This government is giving authorities the tools they need to fight back. We've increased the Environment Agency's enforcement budget by over 50% to £15.6 million, bolstered the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, and we're introducing tougher checks and stronger penalties.

"Digital tracking will close the loopholes criminals exploit, drones are catching offenders in the act, and councils have the power to crush their vans - leaving waste criminals with nowhere left to hide."

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