Crackdown on fly-tipping across Leicestershire

A crackdown on fly-tipping is taking place across Leicestershire.

The Leicestershire Waste Partnership has launched a campaign to prevent people illegally dumping waste. They say even if residents pay someone to take rubbish away, if they are not licensed then it could still be fly-tipped and land people with fines.

The ‘It’s All Fly-Tipping’ campaign is being backed by Leicestershire councils including Harborough District Council which are part of the partnership.

Harborough District Council environment spokesman Cllr Darren Woodiwiss said: “We are supporting this campaign to ensure people understand what fly-tipping is and what it means for our local environment. We want everyone to dispose of their waste carefully and properly.

“The council has a zero-tolerance fly-tipping policy. No one wants to live in an area that is littered with rubbish and its resultant environmental damage. We investigate all fly-tips and prosecute anyone who is blighting our district where we can.”

The consequences for fly-tipping range from a £400 fixed penalty notice to an unlimited fine, a criminal record or time in prison.

Across Leicester and Leicestershire there’s more than 12,000 fly-tips each year. Each authority investigates fly-tips in their area and when enough evidence is recovered, action is taken.

Leicestershire Waste Partnership says the campaign focuses on reminding people who may be thinking about dumping their waste that they are being watched.

It also highlights the issue of paying someone who is operating without a waste licence to take waste away and being fly tipped.

Visit the Environment Agency website to check traders and businesses hold the correct waste licence.