Councillors declare ‘war on fly-tippers’

And it comes as police appeal for witnesses to an outrageous act of dumping junk on a local nature reserve beauty spot in Ancaster.

The number of fly-tipping incidents reported in the district has jumped by two thirds in a year – from 837 in 12 months ending in March 2020 to 1,405 in the same period ending this March.

With a similar trend across Lincolnshire, the district council has said enough is enough and has formed a county-wide Environmental Crime Partnership with all relevant agencies working together.

Leader of NKDC, Coun Richard Wright said: “It means would-be fly-tippers now know that there are no areas anywhere in the county where tackling illegal dumping is not a high priority issue.”

The police, the Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones, the Environment Agency, the National Farmers’ Union, the Ministry of Defence, Internal Drainage Boards, the Forestry Commission, the Countryside Land Association and Anglian Water are all on board.

The Partnership is chaired by Ayeisha Kirkham, Environmental Protection Team Manager at NKDC. She said: “Some people are guilty of fly-tipping by association because they do not take enough care when choosing someone to deal with their waste.”

Failure to check can lead to the original owner facing prosecution or a fine of £400.

Detectives are seeking information about damage done by fly-tippers at the Ancaster Valley - a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Branches have been cut from trees, some hundreds of years old, and rubbish, including tyres and wood have been dumped in the last two weeks.

The site is protected by law giving courts powers to issue unlimited fines.

Detective Constable Aaron Flint said: “These sites are extremely fragile and highly vulnerable to damage. We will be working closely with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to identify the offenders and bring them to justice. This is not only a mindless and selfish act of vandalism but also serious crime against our environment.”

Call 101 with any information.

Rachel Shaw, of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, said it will be costly to remove, leaving a long term impact. “A number of trees have had branches removed and bark damage that may affect their survival. The shrubs that have been damaged are box. Box is very slow growing and unfortunately some of the stems cut and damaged are over 100 years old, so will take a long time to regenerate.”

This steep-sided valley is covered with limestone grassland, scrub and woodland. It is one of the finest sites for limestone flowers in the county.