Call for bigger fines to be handed out to fly-tippers in Peterborough

In a debate on the problem at the council’s Growth, Environment and Resources Scrutiny Committee councillors called for heavier fines for those taken to court for fly-tipping.

The meeting also heard that notices in different languages to deter have not had the desired effect.
Members of the committee were presented with evidence that showed fly-tipping is increasing.
Cllr Keith Lievesley (representative, Ufford parish Council) told the online meeting this week (November 10): “I found the content of this report very interesting and at the same time most distressing.
“I do seem to remember that some time back Cllr Cereste mentioned putting out a campaign in different languages as there was apparently some confusion among members of the migrant community about the legality of fly-tipping.“Just recently during the first lockdown in Southey Wood in Ufford, I noticed a line of parked cars one against a hedge from which a young woman was taking plastic bags of rubbish and dumping them through the hedge.
“An elderly gentleman tackled her about this and she said that she didn’t understand that it was an illegal activity, bearing in mind she was doing this in full daylight and with dozens of people around.
“Obviously there was something very wrong with her understanding of the law. Anyhow, I joined in with the gentleman and several others to make her put all the bags back in the car, and when I drove past later there were a few remains of garden waste, but nothing else.
“Could Cllr Cereste or James Collingridge, Head of Environmental Partnerships confirm that this notices in different languages campaign did actually take place, and that we have made the various migrant communities in and around the city aware that fly-tipping is an illegal activity?”

James Collingridge, Head of Environmental Partnerships, added: “Obviously when we’re looking at fly-tipping signs, to be able to put them up in every single language that is spoken in Peterborough is simply not feasible, the sign would be too big and people wouldn’t take any notice of it.

“What we have opted for are signs that are more pictorial in their nature, which hopefully makes it easier to understand the illegality of fly-tipping.

“What we’ve also done is to work much more closely with community groups and community connectors to try and get them to understand that not only is this a very serious crime and will not be tolerated, but that there are mechanisms within the council for them to dispose of rubbish in better, safer, more considerate ways.
“We want to get the message out not only to the migrant communities in the city, but to everybody that fly-tipping is a scourge that we all live with, but that we don’t have to – if only people would see it as a serious criminal activity and re-think what they’re doing or report the fly-tippers as soon as they see them.

Cllr Chris Burbage asked: “It was mentioned at a previous meeting about the possibility of issuing larger fines to people fly-tipping, when are the council going to start pressing the courts for maximum fines?

“I think it would go a long way towards deterring others who want to fly-tip, if they could see that maximum fines were being given out on a regular basis – which, sadly at the moment, there’s not much evidence of.

“Cpouncillors are daily reporting fly-tipping incidents in their wards, but I think it would be a good thing if we were to receive some feedback on when these have been cleared, whether the fly-tippers were caught, and then we can go to the public to show that we’ve cleared up the mess, that fines were given out and these criminals made to pay; can we do that?”

Cllr Cereste responded: “I completely agree with you. I’m quite sure that Aragon will be happy to report back to councillors on the removal of fly-tipping.

“As far as fines are concerned, Peterborough City Council are restricted by law as to the level of small, on-the-spot fines that we can give people.

“I understand that in court a judge can use new legislation to meet out a maximum fine of £50,000, and a prison sentence of 12 months to fly-tippers.

“However, in all my years as a councillor I’ve only ever seen a judge give out the maximum fine once.

“The more usual approach is to give a small reprimand, a tiny fine – probably significantly less than it would’ve earned from fly-tipping from the load that they’ve dumped, and certainly less than it would’ve cost to legitimately take it to a waste recycle centre.

“Until the judicial system catches up with the level of criminality that fly-tipping represents in our communities, there will continue to be fly-tipping and fly-tippers.”

Cllr Angus Ellis asked: “What about the increase in CCTV and covert surveillance that was promised at a previous meeting? Has any of this been put in place yet, and what have been the results from it?”

Mr Collingridge responded: “Our officers have purchased the new covert CCTV system which they want to use however, there has been hold-ups mostly around legislation preventing us from simply putting these cameras wherever we would like – there are data protection considerations to think about and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 around CCTV.
“The good news is that we do now have the authorisation needed for cameras to go up in certain areas, and I will feed back discreetly to the committee about cameras in hot-spot areas, and any successes we have as a result of these being put up.”

Cllr Richard Brown said; “I would just like to mention Norwood Lane – bollards have been put up at the end of the lane, but the fly-tippers have simply dumped all the rubbish behind the bollards.

“What can we do about it, because it’s a real mess again down there, it’s in the hedgerows and everything?”

Mr Collingridge replied: “Norwood Lane is about to be closed-off soon as it forms part of the housing estate that is going to be built there.

“When it is closed-off, the whole lane is going to be cleared and everything will be sorted at that time.”
Members acknowledged the report and looked forward to hearing updated details about CCTV and more fines being given out at the next meeting on January 13, 2021.