Fly-tippers fined over 'reckless' rubbish dumping

Fly-tippers have been fined thousands of pounds after dumping rubbish at beauty spots and roadsides.

Seven people in Rhondda Cynon Taf were fined a total of more than £3,660 in the past month - an average of more than £520 each - for their "reckless" actions.

The council said it has placed hidden cameras to catch offenders red-handed.

It urged residents, visitors and traders to dispose of waste responsibly.

Offenders were caught throwing rubbish over garden walls, leaving items strewn across roads, dumping waste outside a local recycling centre and asking an unregistered business to dispose of rubbish, which was later fly-tipped.

Under the Environmental Protection Act, fly-tipping is described as the "illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it".

Councillor Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf council's member for environment, leisure and heritage services, said: "Fly-tipping in our county borough will not be tolerated, there is never an excuse to blight our towns, streets and villages with your waste and we will find those responsible and hold them to account.

"As these cases highlight, we investigate all reports of fly-tipping and we will unravel all the details as these offenders have found out."

She added that removal of fly-tipped rubbish costs the council hundreds of thousands of pounds - which would be spent on key front-line services.

"We will use every power we have available to us, to hold those accountable for their actions," she said.