Another fly-tipper has been fined as part of Bedford Borough Council’s ongoing crackdown on fly-tipping after he was found illegally dumping waste oil at the glass-recycling bank in Great Denham.
The man responsible was identified by the Council’s Environmental Crime Team and issued with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence – punishable with a £50,000 fine or a 12-month prison sentence – which costs the Council thousands of pounds to clean up.
It can also be a hazard to local people and wildlife and is a blight on the environment, both in urban and rural areas.
The Council has issued a number of appeals to find fly-tippers in the last few weeks, in an effort to prevent rubbish from being dumped.
Read: Do you recognise these individuals caught near fly-tipping hotspots?
Cllr Royden (Lib Dem, Brickhill), Portfolio Holder for Environment, said, “It’s disappointing that a minority of residents misuse our recycling banks,
“if you have extra waste such as waste engine oil take it to the Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Barkers Lane, don’t leave it at our glass and clothes recycling centres.”
Last year, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said local authorities dealt with 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents in 2020/21, up by 16 per cent from 2019/20.
Read: Councils encouraged to remove barriers to waste disposal to prevent fly-tipping
Cllr Royden, added, “I would like to thank our Environmental Crime Team who have been invaluable in helping us crack down on fly-tipping here in Bedford Borough.
“Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and we are seeking to clamp down and enforce any case we possibly can, either through the issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice or through a prosecution.
“Fly-tipping can ruin our countryside and our communities, we will continue to raise awareness that it is criminal and unacceptable.
“Our enforcement teams work tirelessly to find and prosecute people who are carrying out unlawful activities. If you witness an incident of fly-tipping, please report it as soon as you can to give our officers the best chance of catching the perpetrators.”
If you see fly-tipping on the street or someone actually fly-tipping “Report It” at bedford.gov.uk/fly-tipping.
For information about the Household Waste and Recycling Centre visit bedford.gov.uk/hwrc.
