West Oxfordshire council has issued 11 fly-tipping fines of up to £1,000 this year, and cameras cut fly-tips by 96% at one Eynsham hotspot. How to avoid a fine.
West Oxfordshire District Council has issued 11 Fixed Penalty Notices for fly-tipping so far this financial year, each carrying a fine of up to £1,000. It has also completed 107 investigations into illegally dumped waste and sent 31 warning letters, the council said on 12 October.
The figures come in a council news release marking its support for the national Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign. The financial year began on 1 April, so the totals cover roughly the last six months.
Cameras at the hotspots
The council says it has been putting cameras in known dumping hotspots, and that one area in Eynsham saw a 96% reduction in fly-tips after a camera went in. It does not name the spot. It is also running “stop and search” operations with other organisations, aimed at illegal waste carriers.
West Oxfordshire gets fewer fly-tipping reports each year than the rest of the South East, according to the council, but it says the problem still hits communities and landowners, and it put extra resources into tackling it earlier this year.
Councillor Alistair Wray, the council’s Executive Member for Environment, said:
“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities. We make sure to clear fly-tips promptly once reported, but we are also taking meaningful action to prevent them before they occur.
“We are using cameras to deter activity in known hotspots, proactively investigating tips, and taking action against offenders.
“We are clear there is no excuse for fly-tipping. There are plenty of ways to get rid of waste legally and we would encourage residents to help us tackle those who would take advantage of people for profit or who would dump their waste into our countryside while ignoring the impact it has on our environment, wildlife, and the people living nearby.”
What it means for you
You can be fined for someone else’s fly-tip. Every household has a legal “duty of care” for its rubbish. If you pay someone to take waste away and it is later dumped, the council says you are liable for that fly-tip and could face a fine. Before you hand anything over:
- Ask the collector for their waste carrier registration number and check it on the Environment Agency’s public register.
- Keep a receipt or some record of the job.
- Ask where the waste is going.
Anyone suspicious can be reported to the council for investigation.
If you find a fly-tip, report it on the council’s fly-tipping page. Do not touch or move it: the council warns it may be hazardous, and it may hold evidence for an investigation.
If you see someone dumping waste, do not approach them. The council asks for evidence instead, such as the vehicle’s number plate, make, model and colour.
To get rid of household waste legally, Oxfordshire County Council’s Waste Wizard shows where each item can go. For your regular collections, see our page on Witney bin collection days.
Have your say