FLY-TIPPERS – including in Durrington – have been fined for dumping waste during a council crackdown.

Wiltshire Council has been issuing fixed penalty notices (FPNs) as part of its We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign and extra investment in new technology and more officers to catch fly-tippers.

Among the fines handed out was a £400 FPN to a Durrington resident, for being in control of a vehicle used to fly-tip on a byway off Milston Road, Durrington, in February.

The incident was witnessed by a member of the public, who saw carpet underlay being thrown from a van on to the grass verge by an unknown person.

Fly-tipping in Durrington. Picture: Wiltshire Council

The quick-thinking witness took photographs of the vehicle and its registration as it drove away, which helped Enforcement Officers to trace the person liable for the offence.

Elsewhere, a Bromham resident has paid a £400 fly-tipping FPN after admitting illegally depositing household waste in a layby off the A361 between Devizes and Calstone, close to the renowned local beauty spot of Morgan’s Hill.

Rubbish dumped on the A361 at Calstone. Picture: Wiltshire Council

The council has also issued a fixed penalty notice to a resident from the Bristol area for failing in their household duty of care when waste associated to them was found fly-tipped at Whitehill Lane, Royal Wootton Bassett, in January.

A £400 FPN was also issued to a man from the Collingbourne Ducis area after his waste was found on military land off a byway near Everleigh.

Fly-tipping found near Everleigh. Picture: Wiltshire Council

Cllr Caroline Thomas, cabinet member for highways and waste at the council, said: “These are four great examples that highlight the work we are doing to combat fly-tipping as part of our We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign.

“These FPNs should be a reminder to Wiltshire residents to be extra vigilant when paying someone to take their waste away.

“Some people who advertise waste collections on social media are unlicensed to remove waste, and people should always check for a waste carriers licence and take down the vehicle details of anyone who takes away their waste – or they could be fined if the waste is dumped.

“One of our Business Plan commitments is to reduce fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and that’s why we have invested more money into covert cameras and officers to catch fly-tippers in the act, as part of our zero-tolerance approach.”

Anyone can check of their credentials of someone they pay to take away their waste at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers.
For more details on reporting fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and about the WTF campaign, visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.