Council pledges to 'cripple' Newcastle fly-tippers in new crackdown
A North East council has vowed to use new powers to “cripple” serial fly-tippers.
The Government has this week announced plans to make it easier for local authorities to seize and crush cars and vans used by criminals dumping waste.
Environment secretary Steve Reed said that he expects councils to “get much more aggressive” in a war on fly-tipping, which will also include using drones and mobile CCTV to find culprits.
The proposals could mean that offenders are forced to stump up for the “significant” cost of their vehicles being seized and stored, instead of councils themselves.
Alex Hay, deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, welcomed the crackdown.
He said: “For too long, fly-tippers have acted with complete disregard for the law, the environment, and the communities their criminal actions impact. They’ve operated with a false sense of impunity, building large operations that cost taxpayers dearly and I’m delighted we’ll have extra powers to put that to a stop.
“These new measures will make it easier for us to cripple their illegal operations by seizing the vehicles they use to carry out their crimes, destroy them at their expense, and tackle head on their capabilities to commit further offences.
“We have always taken a firm stance towards tackling fly-tippers, and I’m really pleased it will soon be easier to go even further in breaking down these illegal operations and take another step towards providing the cleaner and safer streets our communities deserve to live in.”
Data from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs shows that councils in England dealt with a record 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents last year, a 20% increase from 2018/19.
Mr Reed said this week that “waste criminals and fly-tippers who blight our towns and villages have gone unpunished for too long”, though he confirmed that councils will not receive extra cash from the Government to tackle the problem.
He added: “The Government is calling time on fly-tipping. I will not stand by while this avalanche of rubbish buries our communities.
“Under the Plan for Change, this Government will seize and crush fly-tippers vans’ to clean up Britain’s streets.”
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