Campaign continues to stop fly-tipping across East Lindsey over festive period

Fly-tipping incidents in England increased last year, with household waste accounting for by far the biggest proportion of the problem, which has been worsened by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

From March 2020 to March 2021 in England, 1.13m fly-tipping incidents were dealt with by local authorities, an increase of 16% on the 980,000 reported in the previous year, according to data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Wednesday.

East Lindsey District Council spent more than 6000 hours clearing over 1200 fly tips in the last year.

According to statistics shared with the Skegness Standard, East Lindsey is seeing a slight fall in fly tip incidents in the run-up to Christmas this year with 192 reported between November 1 and December 20, compared with 255 last year. In the period up to January 7, 2021, there were a further 85 fly tips reported.

The fall follows a special campaign launched in September, when Environment Agency staff joined local authority enforcement partners across Lincolnshire in Operation Clean Sweep.

The operation prevented the illegal disposal of 10 tonnes of construction waste, as well as the seizure of three vehicles.

Environment Agency staff joined forces for two days with our enforcement partners across Lincolnshire. This included officers from Lincolnshire Police, Boston Borough Council, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in multiagency Operation Clean Sweep.

On September 16 and 17, 59 vehicles were stopped and checked to ensure they were operating correctly and had all necessary paperwork. The stop checks resulted in:

- the prevention of approximately 10 tonnes of construction being disposed of illegally

- 3 vehicles seized from drivers

- 14 DVSA prohibitions notices issued against vehicles

- 7 Fixed Penalty Notices (£300 each) issued to unlicensed waste carriers

- 1 on the spot fine of £550 issued for use of red diesel

Vehicles illegally carrying scrap metal, waste white goods, green waste and end of life vehicles were also stopped and follow up enquiries being made

A spate of old tyres being dumped across the East Lindsey district also led to an appeal for information by East Lindsey District Council.

A spokesman for East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) said that large number of tyres were fly-tipped in East Lindsey over the past few weeks, which appear to have been dumped from a lorry or a large van.

The spokesman said: “As we are all aware, fly-tipping is a major problem in the county, whether it is in towns and cities or the countryside.

“It is a disgusting thing to do. Fly-tipping harms the environment and costs taxpayers millions of pounds each year to deal with – money which could otherwise be spent on things like schools and hospitals.”

One Ingoldmells parish councillor, who is a bus driver, regularly sees incidents fly-tipping. "Why do people do it?" asked Coun Steve Walsmley.

"Basically the answer is it's too easy to put it at the side of the road than it is to take it to the tip - even if caught it could be a £1,000+ fine.

"It doesn't help that there is a £50 charge for green bins, which are there to help the environment. This waste is supposed to be turned into compost to make money for the local authority.

"I'd certainly like to hear what the public has to say about this."

Penalties for fly-tipping stated in the Environment Protection Act of 1990 have been reviewed by the 2005 Clean Neighborhood and Environment Act.

If convicted in a Magistrate Court, offenders face up to £50,000 or twelve months imprisonment.

If the case is addressed in a crown court, sanctions can be up to five years imprisonment.

Those who are found guilty of fly-tipping can also have their assets frozen, according to the Proceeds of Crime Act of 2002.

Local authorities can also issue fixed penalty notices of £150 to £400 for small-scale fly-tipping offenses based on the Unauthorized Deposit of Waste Regulations of 2016 in England.

East Lindsey District Council are appealing to people to be responsible this festive period and beware of scammers offering cheap removal of rubbish..

The advice is:

- Ask for proof to see if they are licensed to carry waste.

- Always obtain proof of where the waste if going to be disposed of.

People are also being reminded not to miss their Christmas and New Year bin collections.

Over 4000 collections will be made a day earlier - some will be later - and 28,000 properties will see a change in their collection day.

Check your bin collection days at www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/mywastecollectionsFor recycling centre opening times visit https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/recycling-waste