Fly-tip warning as South Cambridgeshire council clamps down on offenders

People are being warned they face a fine of £400 if they do not use reputable companies to dispose of their waste.

Fly-tipping cost South Cambridgeshire District Council £68,000 to clear last year and officials have made clamping down on the practice a "key priority".

The council said it received about 1,600 reports of fly-tipping each year.

Measures to tackle it included warning stickers at dumping hot spots and working more closely with police.

"Uncontrolled illegal waste can be hazardous to the public, especially if it contains toxic material or asbestos," said Henry Batchelor, lead cabinet member for environmental services.

"There could be a risk of damage to watercourses and soil quality from the dumped waste.

"In short, dumped rubbish is a disaster for people, natural wildlife, watercourses, plants and hedgerow - as well as the obvious immediate concern of looking unsightly and ruining our beautiful countryside."

The council warned that fly-tipping was a criminal offence that could result in a fixed penalty notice of up to £400 for the person whose waste it was. People who dump could face a £50,000 fine and possible jail time.

Speaking at one of the often-targeted sites near the Caxton Gibbet roundabout on the A428, Bridget Smith, the Liberal Democrat leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "It's a massive problem for us and it's a massive problem for residents.

"We know that 75% of fly-tips are... people that people find on Facebook, things like that. About a quarter are residents dumping their own rubbish.

"So we know there is organised crime here - people exploiting vulnerable homeowners who think that they're getting a proper service and are not checking that people have credentials that allow them to dispose of waste legally."

Darryl Preston, the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Cambridgeshire, said: "From my perspective, [fly-tipping] is a complete blight on our communities. It's anti-social and has a detrimental environmental impact and of course, it's crime."

He said while police officers were busy and had to prioritise certain crimes, he fully supported the work of the council to fight the "blight".

The council has urged residents to try to give away unwanted items for free, recycle and reuse, or make sure they are using a registered waste carrier if they have to dispose of them.

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