Shropshire Star

Shropshire fly-tipping: 'We need far tougher fines', say MP

The region's fly-tipping epidemic is today revealed with an average of 90 incidents a day costing taxpayers more than £2 million a year.

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A Shropshire Star investigation has found 32,569 reports of waste being dumped illegally to councils across Shropshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country and Birmingham last year – a 16 per cent increase from 2012/13.

Organised criminal gangs who offer to dispose of rubbish at a knockdown price are believe to be behind 'industrial scale' dumping seen in recent months.

It cost the region's councils £1.8m to remove dumped waste last year and a further £580,000 to investigate offences. But only £54,706 was recouped through fines at court, with authorities only taking 58 prosecutions.

And only 456 fixed penalty notices were issued last year in the Midlands, which would have returned between a further £54,000 and £182,000.

It means taxpayers and landowners are left to fork the colossal bill left by fly-tippers.

In May 2016, councils were given the power to impose £400 fixed-penalty notices for fly-tipping. But critics say that for criminal gangs – or even ordinary householders – it is worth taking the risk because the fine can be cheaper than hiring a skip for a fortnight.

Rising waste charges and moves to fortnightly bin collections have also been blamed.

The Environment Agency said it is investigating 'a number of' large waste sites in the West Midlands.

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson, whose constituency takes in rubbish-hit villages on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, said tougher sanctions were needed. He said: "It is absolutely disgusting that environmental vandals on a commercial basis are dumping waste and rubbish across our countryside.

"We need to see judges issue punitive fines of £30,000, £40,000 or £50,000 rather than these ridiculous sums of £400. At the moment the risk is worth taking and it is not a deterrent.

"Judges need to develop a backbone and hit these criminals hard in the pocket and send them to jail. Only then will we see local authorities have confidence in taking prosecutions against these people.

"Offenders may think fly-tipping is a victimless crime but we all pay the price for it."

Figures from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs show that there were 1,314 cases of fly-tipping in Shropshire and 3,405 in Telford & Wrekin.

The worst-affected area in the West Midlands was Walsall with 4,599. There were 417 cases in South Staffordshire and 648 in Wyre Forest, both areas that border Shropshire.

Telford & Wrekin spent £173,000 clearing up the rubbish while Shropshire Council spent £70,000. Walsall Council's bill was the largest in the region at £350,000, while South Staffordshire Council spent £49,000 and Wyre Forest £38,000.

Keep Britain Tidy said gangs of 'unregistered waste carriers', often advertising their services online, were exploiting the situation by offering to pick up rubbish 'on the cheap'.

It described the phenomenon as the rise of the 'Facebook fly-tipper'.

Thousands of tonnes of waste still waits to be cleared up on a disused railway line off the A4169 near Horsehay in Telford. It would have taken dozens of lorries fill, over several months.

In recent weeks a lorry full of waste was dumped in a country road in Yoxall, Staffordshire, closing the lane to traffic.

There have also been cases of furniture dumped on Clee Hill in the Shropshire Hills and country lanes near Bridgnorth being strewn with rubbish.

Of all the incidents in the Midlands, there were nearly 6,000 that needed a transit van to remove the waste, and 808 occasions that needed a tipper lorry.

In 147 cases it was even too big for a single tipper lorry to remove and required multiple trips.

In Staffordshire a specialist taskforce has been set up with councils, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Staffordshire Police, the Environment Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and Highways England, because illegal waste sites pose a high risk of fire.

Director of Response for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service Tim Hyde, who is chairing the multi-agency group said: "This is a serious issue that we collectively need to address as soon as possible and we need the support of local residents and businesses.

"We have identified high-risk sites that should fires occur, there will be massive disruption to road and rail networks in addition to the devastating environmental impact."

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said travellers, whom he likened to 'roving vagabonds' were behind some of the large scale dumping.

He said: "It is clear that some of these highly costly offences are the work of travellers who are dumping waste on an industrial scale. A small minority are akin to organised criminals. I will raise this issue with the chief constable."

Local authorities are responsible for fly-tipping but in many cases when the rubbish is left on private land it is left to the owner to clear up and pay the cost.

The Environment Agency gets involved when the waste comes from illegal waste sites or the amount is exceptionally large.

Adam Lines, environment manager with the Environment Agency said: "Across the country, every year waste crime takes as much as £1 billion from legitimate business and the treasury. It causes severe damage to the environment and misery for local residents.

"We take waste crime seriously and we work with the police, the fire service, local councils and HMRC to take tough action on criminals through disruption, enforcement and prosecution.

"Unfortunately often in cases like we've seen recently, landowners are left with the responsibility and costs of disposing of the waste dumped on their land. The cost of this can be considerable.

"We urge all landowners, farmers and property agents to be vigilant and report any concerns or anything suspicious to us straight away."

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