VIDEO: Flytipping in Peterborough leading to more arson attacks

Peterborough Enforcement Officer Roy Clarke inspecting an arson risk caused by the build up of rubbish at a city property.

The city’s authorities are calling on residents to ensure piles of rubbish do not build up, especially in residential areas, and to report anything that is of concern.

Residents are being urged not to dump their extra rubbish, but to take it to a household waste recycling centre.

Station Commander Wayne Swales, deputy head of the Safer Peterborough Prevention and Enforcement Service, is appealing to people to deal with their waste in a more responsible manner and think about the consequences of littering and fly-tipping.

He said: “Fires started deliberately are a challenge in the Peterborough area and a growing number of them involve litter or fly-tipped waste that has been set on fire. Clearly that puts lives at risk; fire service staff and residents alike. Also, when fire engines are attending one of these incidents they are not available for real emergencies elsewhere across the city.

“There are numerous ways for residents to dispose of their waste responsibly.”

The Safer Peterborough Prevention and Enforcement Service will always seek out and prosecute those that are responsible for dumping waste.

Since new powers came into force in May last year 54 fixed penalty notices have been issued for fly-tipping and 62 people have been taken to court and prosecuted.

As well as the potential danger to life, the collection and disposal of fly-tipped waste and litter currently costs Peterborough City Council more than £1million a year.

Roy Clarke, a Peterborough Enforcement Officer, said: “What we’ve got at the moment is a large accumulation of rubbish, food waste and other associated items.

“Obviously it’s a big problem, apart from the problem with the health risk to local people, we’ve also got the rubbish all stacked next to a wood fronted property which is an arson risk which the fire service have been made aware of as well.”

Residents can arrange to have bulky waste items collected from their home at a charge of £23.50 per collection. This is a one-off charge, not per item.

Flytipping can be reported here.