An operation has been launched to tackle rogue fly-tippers who are blighting landscapes in Gotham, Barton-in-Fabis and Thrumpton and surrounding areas in Rushcliffe.
Rushcliffe Borough Council, Nottinghamshire Police and Parish Council representatives joined forces to stop vehicles on the A453 Remembrance Way, Green Street and Fox Covert Lane on Tuesday (July 7) completing checks on trade waste and other drivers.
It follows an increase in fly-tipping in the area in the last six months and is the start of ongoing overt and covert exercises aiming to reduce large amounts of trade waste and household items being dumped that are littering laybys and verges.
Vehicles were stopped both in transit and parked on the roadside with two scrap metal merchants brought to the Council’s Environmental Health team’s attention. Both did not possess a licence to collect in the Borough which will be further investigated.
A further traffic offence report was recorded on one driver for speeding and a warning given for possession of cannabis.
Residents and businesses are reminded to check that any company or individual they employ to dispose of their waste holds the relevant Trade Waste Carriers’ licence to avoid their unwanted goods contributing to fly-tips.
This can be completed by them showing the relevant licence in person and checking it with the Environment Agency’s listings of registered businesses here: https://bit.ly/1UFAWfn
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods Cllr Rob Inglis joined ward councillor Cllr Rex Walker, Gotham Parish Council Chairman Barbara Walker, Thrumpton Parish Meeting Chairman Ben Wilson and Nottinghamshire Police officers at the launch to view the checks taking place.
Cllr Inglis said: “This operation sends out the message to fly-tippers who flout the rules, we are watching you and will take action and prosecute wherever we can if you dispose of your waste illegally.
“This is the start of ongoing work to target those selfish individuals who blight these areas of countryside with waste and with Police and fellow councils we’ll continue to monitor and undertake these unannounced checks.
“Residents can play their part too in decreasing fly-tipping. They should always check anyone they pay to take items away from their home is a registered waste carrier by requesting to view the appropriate Environment Agency licence.”
Inspector Craig Berry from Nottinghamshire Police said: “We take all fly-tipping extremely seriously and work with partners such as Rushcliffe Borough Council in this case to do everything we can to prevent and deter offending and take action when we can.
“Fly tipping is illegal. We will be working with the local authority to try and tackle this issue.”
The Council is also operating a new checking system in the area focused on fly-tipping hotspots, with new signage and larger bins being installed in laybys to encourage people to dispose of their litter responsibly.
Parish Councils, residents and the authority are working together to combine resources and share information to support even more local action, including camera surveillance and fly-tip watch groups.