Frustration is growing that the illegal dumping of waste seems to be continuing unabated around our village despite Council and Police efforts to thwart the criminals who’re doing it. It was reported last month that a vehicle belonging to suspected fly-tippers had been seized but further incidents have since followed, including this most recent one.
Elissa Hawksworth was again the first to alert us to the latest pile of old fridges and freezers (top photo – courtesy of Paul Witney) which have been dumped at the entrance to NFU Mutual and Barn Farm on Flawforth Lane. It was reported to Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) however, despite the fact that it is on the verge of a public highway this time, they have judged it to be on private land. RBC’s Executive Manager for Neighbourhoods Dave Banks said: “We will work with the landowner and advise of the action required to clear the site. We have a zero tolerance policy on fly-tippers and will always consider prosecution on public land when any evidence is found on those who commit these crimes. Anyone who has information on those committing any fly-tipping offence should contact us on social media, over the ‘phone on 0115 981 99 11 or email customerservices@rushcliffe.gov.uk.”
One of those taking to social media about these fly-tipping incidents was resident Julie Grocock, who commented: “Someone’s obviously being paid to take them away – just to dump them. If you’re paying someone to take your fridge/freezer to the tip please make sure it’s a reputable scrap person not a fly-tipper. If you ‘phone the council they will take them too. It’s disgusting just to see them dumped anywhere!”
These sentiments were echoed by Kathryn Powell who told us: “Even if the appliance has been disposed of from your home, if it hasn’t been done responsibly every time I call the Council to carry out a clean up, chances are your Council Tax is going to increase because of it, due to the frequency this is happening. And – as with the first lot of appliances that have been dumped – because this is on private land, it’s now down to the land owner to sort it out. Would really like to catch somebody in the act. Getting sick of this now and would like support from local residents to try and stop this happening so frequently!”
PCSO Kathryn Lucock of Rushcliffe Police‘s Local Beat Team says: “We are aware of the main areas where fly tipping occurs and will patrol these routes as frequently as possible looking out for any suspicious vans, large vehicles in the area. When we come across any fly tipped material we check it for any documents/identifiable material with a view to passing that information on to RBC who are the lead authority in prosecuting offenders and arranging the clearance of any sites where the rubbish is on Public land. We also frequently remind members of the public via social media of the perils of engaging non licensed scrap collections /large bulk waste collections pointing them towards the council website which carries a list of licensed waste carriers.
“When it comes to other methods of investigation such as placing cameras in frequently used locations that is again something that is in the Council’s remit. If any vehicles are identified as carrying waste /scrap by Officers on patrol they will be checked for waste carrying licences, correct insurance etc and the appropriate action taken against any found to be in contravention. We support RBC as much as we can however they are the lead authority with the resources in place to tackle the issue.”
Rushcliffe Police Inspector Craig Berry adds: “Martin (Hickey) and his team (at RBC) take this matter extremely seriously and do everything they can to prevent and deter offending. However where it does occur they work hard to investigate offences to identify those responsible – though it is a particularly difficult offence to investigate as it is often like looking for a needle in haystack on a large Borough like Rushcliffe. Finally when evidence is available, often through use of CCTV cameras, Rushcliffe always use all powers and tools available to prosecute offenders and will seize offending vehicles used in the commission of the offence. My police team will always support our Rushcliffe colleagues in enforcement action to deter offending.”
The message to Ruddingtonians is to be vigilant helping to spot further fly-tipping – and also to note down registration numbers of offending vehicles, if you can do so without putting yourself in danger. You can then report them to RBC, or using The Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
