Blight of flytipping drops across the district

Between November 2016 and February 2017 the council received 1,145 reports of fly-tipping - a 22 per cent drop in cases compared to the same period last year.

The council has been running a campaign to raise awareness of the blight that fly-tipping causes and to highlight the penalties faced by those who dispose of waste illegally and has successfully prosecuted people who are suspected of illegally dumping items such as garden waste, old furniture and garden rubble.

​Welcoming the fall in the figures, Coun Maureen Cummings, Cabinet Member for Environment and Communities said: “It is good news that these incidents are falling and it indicates that the majority of residents would never dispose of their waste in this way.

“However, we must not be complacent. Government cuts to our budget mean we no longer have a dedicated team to clean up fly-tipping. But we are determined, that within the resources we have, that we will continue to pursue and prosecute anyone who is blighting our communities. We have a network of CCTV cameras to help us catch offenders.”

She added: “We all have a responsibility to ensure we dispose of our waste items safely and in the right way.

“We need to ensure that people who dump waste are very clear that if they are caught they will face costly consequences. We want residents to support us by reporting any incidents that they see.”

Residents are being advised to make sure they understand the rules. Unless a builder, carpet fitter, scrap man or other tradesperson is a registered waste carrier, there is a risk they may take away an item and dump it illegally. If they do this, the householder who owned the items is at risk of a £5,000 fine, as they are responsible for their items being disposed of properly.”

People are being urged to take their waste to a recycling centre or use the douncil’s bulky collection service.

Items can be donated to charity if they are in good working order and some charities will collection for free.

For more information see: www.wakefield.gov.uk/flytipping