Fly-tippers in Wiltshire paid £20,000 in fines since April
12 vouchers given to residents who reported fly-tipping, each worth £100
Wiltshire Council has received more than £20,000 in paid fly-tipping fines and court costs since April this year, representing a 64% increase when compared to last year.
Figures released by Wiltshire Council show fly-tipping fines, costs and victim surcharge resulting from court prosecutions equated to £20,035 so far, this year.
In comparison, during the same period of April to October 2021, fly-tippers paid out £12,217 in fines and other costs.
Fly-tippers in Wiltshire have been the target of an ongoing campaign by Wiltshire Council, which seeks to tackle the issue of fly-tipping in the county.
It focuses on warning people of the penalties of fly-tipping including unlimited fines, prosecution and seized vehicles.
Residents are encouraged to report fly-tipping incidents and could even be offered money in return, if the report leads to a formal action.
So far, twelve vouchers worth £100 each have been awarded to residents who reported a fly-tipping incident in Wiltshire.
Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste, said:
“We’re serious about tackling fly-tipping here in Wiltshire, and that’s why we’ve launched our new 'We’re Targeting Fly-tippers' campaign, which builds on the success of this eye-catching brand."
Reports of fly-tipping in Wiltshire have gone down by 18% compared to last year.
Figures released by Wiltshire Council show that in 2021, 1,701 incidents were reported between April and October, compared to 1,392 during the same period this year.
The council also announced it's investing an extra £150,000 to crack down on fly-tipping, over the next three years.
The money will be used to employ more officers and to invest in covert cameras which will be placed in well-known fly-tipping hot spots.
“We have made a significant investment into tackling fly-tipping over the next three years, with most of this funding being used for more officers and equipment to catch offenders in the act", says Cllr Mark Mcclelland.
“Thanks to the hard work of our dedicated enforcement team, we have had some excellent results in catching fly-tippers in Wiltshire during the past year, and this investment will help us to build on that, to prosecute more offenders, to educate people about how to safely and legally dispose of their rubbish, and to ultimately see the blight of fly-tipping decrease in Wiltshire.
“We’re committed to tackling fly-tipping and environmental crime in our beautiful county, and our message is clear: We’re Targeting Fly-tippers.”