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Fines issued to fly-tippers in Wiltshire as part of crackdown

BBC A pile of waste on Wiltshire farmlandBBC
The council has encouraged people to report fly-tipping

Fines have been issued to a number of fly-tippers across Wiltshire as part of a crackdown against dumping waste.

Wiltshire Council's campaign has resulted in extra investment into new technology such as covert cameras and more officers to catch fly-tippers.

A Bromham resident paid a £400 fine after dumping waste in a layby off the A361 near beauty spot Morgan's Hill.

They said that the smell of the waste in the car was so unpleasant that they could not return home with it.

The council's enforcement officers spotted the fly-tip in August and found evidence in the waste that related to the resident and their spouse.

This led the officers to conduct a formal interview under caution.

A box of rubbish left next to the A361
One resident paid a £400 fine for fly-tipping on the side of the A361

Councillor Caroline Thomas, cabinet member for highways and waste, said: "This is a great example to highlight the work we are doing to combat fly-tipping as part of our We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign."

Wiltshire Council receives about 200 reports of fly-tipping every month.

The council also issued a fixed penalty notice to a Bristol resident for failing in their household duty of care when waste associated to them was found fly-tipped at Whitehill Lane, Royal Wootton Bassett, in January.

The resident confessed during an interview under caution to paying a waste collector to take their waste away without checking that the person was a licenced waste carrier, the council said.

The resident was issued with a fine as they are responsible for their waste under their duty of care.

carpet underlay being thrown from a van on to the grass verge
Carpet underlay was thrown from a van on to the grass verge near Durrington

Ms Thomas added: "These fines should be a reminder to residents to be extra vigilant when paying someone to take their waste away.

"Some people who advertise waste collections on social media are unlicensed to remove waste, and people should always check for a waste carriers licence and take down the vehicle details of anyone who takes away their waste - or they could be fined if the waste is dumped."

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