I don't think fines are enough, it’s an absolute disgrace... fine them and jail them if possible
The residents of Low Fell have had their say on the state of fly-tipping in their area as Gateshead Council ushers in new maximum fines for those caught illegally dumping waste.
At a full council meeting on Thursday, councillors approved a new £1,000 penalty for commercial dumping and for repeat household offenders. The scale of fly-tipping in Gateshead has been described as a “day to day” issue which is often a distraction to council environmental teams.
Recently, Gateshead Council has also invested £6.8m in new waste collection vehicles and hired new wardens to monitor areas prone to fly-tipping. It is hoped the fines, which range from £100 to £1,000, will help tackle environmental crime.
Now locals in Gateshead have had their say on the changes. Colin Grant, 85, of Low Fell said: “It’s not enough, it’s an absolute disgrace. To be honest, it can’t happen where I live but when you look around it’s not on. Fine them as much as possible and jail them if possible.”
On the issue of fly-tipping, Garry Newton, a garden services provider from Burnopfield, said: “It’s not worth it for what you’re going to get charged, when you get charged £25 to make it into compost. I have seen where the fly-tippers have been. We live in a lovely country, the countryside around us is lovely, it’s all wrong.
“If they stopped the permit system for the tips, you can go to the tip with your van and you can tip everything you want there.”
Andy Sanderson , 59, of Festival Park, added: “I don’t think fines are enough to stop it, it seems like it is becoming more of a thing. I used to live in Lobley Hill and it became a real problem for fly-tippers. I don’t know what the balance is to get people to dispose of their waste properly.
“It is absolutely unnecessary – people should be able to dispose of their rubbish properly. It’s simple.”
On the new fines, Lorraine Coulson, 60, of Low Fell, said: “You get it round here all the time, dumping stuff round the corner, stuff that can’t be recycled, leaving it. You ring the council, they come and collect and nobody gets fined. There is some stuff at the end of our street. The council charges to take it away of course, and some people cannot afford that.”