Breckland Council cracks down on fly-tippers
It's issued fines totally more than £1500 as part of its ongoing crackdown on littering and fly-tipping in the district
Last updated 18th Dec 2024
Breckland Council says it's issued fines totalling more than £1500 as part of its ongoing crackdown on littering and fly-tipping in the district.
The local authority says its Environmental Enforcement Team's issued penalties totalling £1,650 for four incidents which occurred recently.
In one instance, a large amount of green waste, mostly consisting of moss, was discarded on the side of a road in Great Ellingham.
The culprit was traced and given a £400 fine after a local landowner reported seeing the vehicle involved in the incident.
Someone living in Melford Common was also fined £500 for discarding garden fencing on a public footpath, declining to clear it away or have it legally discarded, causing obstruction and risk to members of the public.
In another incident in Thetford, the council received a detailed report of fly-tipping from a member of the public who had observed individuals leaving several unwanted items on the Abbey Estate in the town, all of which could have been discarded at the recycling centre for free.
They were able to identify the address responsible, and, even though the occupant claimed to have paid a waste carrier to collect and dispose of the waste, no further details were provided, so the resident was issued a fine of £500.
"Littering and fly-tipping continue to be a source of annoyance for our residents"
In a final case, officers were informed of litter next to a track within Harling Woods.
They found a clue that linked to a local business, which confirmed a member of staff had been using the business address to order personal items.
The member of staff was given a fixed penalty notice of £250 and is now under investigation by their employer.
Cllr Helen Crane, Executive Member for Waste, Environmental Health, Licensing & Sustainability, said: “Littering and fly-tipping continue to be a source of annoyance for our residents as well as damaging our beautiful district.
"With the help of our communities, Breckland Council is addressing the problem and working towards creating a cleaner, tidier environment for everybody.
"As these cases show, we will do everything we can to track down the minority who are harming our district, and the information our residents provide goes a long way in helping identify those responsible. I hope this will deter incidents in the future.”