Asbestos dumped on side of road as council warns of rogue ‘man …
Rubbish including asbestos has been found dumped on the side of a road in South Cambridgeshire[1], as people are asked to ensure their waste is disposed of legally. South Cambridgeshire District Council has said people could be fined hundreds of pounds if their rubbish is dumped by an unlicensed ‘man with a van’.
Councillor Bridget Smith, leader of the district council[2], has said it is “everyone’s responsibility” to make sure their waste is disposed of legally by a licensed professional. She warned people they could face a £400 fine if their rubbish is found fly tipped. Councillor Henry Batchelor, the lead cabinet member for environmental services, said clearing up fly tipping incidents cost the district council £68,000 in 2022/23.
He said: “Sadly many people are conned into thinking they are having their waste removed responsibly by answering “man with a van” ads on social media and have no idea that their rubbish is destined to be fly tipped. What many people also don’t realise is they are then responsible and could be fined for not properly checking the removal business was a reputable waste collection service.”
Cllr Batchelor said the rubbish being dumped was a “disaster” both for people and the natural wildlife, particularly when hazardous waste, such as asbestos, was dumped. The district council highlighted a current incident of fly tipped corrugated roofing pieces, which include asbestos, that has been dumped on the side of a road near the Caxton Gibbet services.
The land the rubbish was left on is privately owned, so while the district council said it can investigate it, the land owner is responsible for removing it. Due to the rubbish containing asbestos it will also need to be removed by specialists. The district council said fly tipping was flagged as being an issue along the road by people living nearby, and that CCTV has been installed to monitor it.
Cllr Smith said the district council receives around four fly tipping reports on average a day, and that 75 per cent of incidents are done by people paid to take away rubbish. She said: “The unfortunate thing for people is that if you don’t make sure your rubbish is disposed of legally you risk a £400 fine, because if we identify the waste has come from you we will fine you.
“We will also go after those people who have illegally disposed of it as that is a criminal offence and they face a prison sentence. Fly tipping is really unpopular with people, it distresses us all when we see great piles of rubbish, particularly dangerous rubbish like we have at Caxton here, which has asbestos.
“We are under huge pressure to dispose of it as quickly as we can, but actually rather than putting out efforts into clearing up fly tips we would like to put our effort into stopping the fly tipping happening in the first place. By encouraging people to make sure that they always use legal means of disposal, encourage them to use our services, because we will dispose of bulk items for a very reasonable fee of just over £30, then that means there won’t be fly tipping. We don’t want fly tipping to happen and that is what the whole point of this campaign is now.”
‘Fly tipping is a crime’
Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said fly tipping was an issue often highlighted to him.
Darryl Preston, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough[4], said he supported the work being done by the district council to try and prevent fly tipping. He said: “[Fly tipping is an issue raised with me personally] on many occasions, and interestingly this happens in our cities, towns and villages and in our countryside as well. It is clearly a concern for our local communities as we should be doing all we can to tackle fly tipping, it is a crime.
The primary responsibility for dealing with fly tipping is with local councils and the Environment Agency, but my message is this, if you were to see it happening in front of you and it is a crime in action you can actually ring 999, but if it has already happened then you report to your local authority. In my role as the Police and Crime Commissioner I would support any initiative, including the one in South Cambridgeshire, to bring down and cut the amount of fly tipping across our county.”
Mr Preston said he helped fund a number of projects relating to fly tipping, including one to help clear up fly tipped waste on private land. He said it was “outrageous” that people were the victims of a crime and then had to pay to clear up the rubbish as well. He also highlighted the government plans to increase the fine for fly tipping to £1,000, which he said would be “even more of a deterrent”. Mr Preston said: “Clearly there is more work to be done, my role as PCC is to bring all the different partners together, the council, the police, and community groups as well to see what more can be done to tackle this blight.”
The district council has said it wants people to “do the right thing” when getting rid of their rubbish. It has asked people to ensure they choose a reputable registered waste carrier to dispose of their rubbish, explaining that licenced individuals and companies are listed on the Environment Agency’s website[5]. It also highlighted that people can use the district council’s own bulk item collection service for some items, and take rubbish to household recycling centres in the area.
References
- ^ Cambridgeshire (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
- ^ district council (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
- ^ Appeal lodged over plans to build new Cambridge Synagogue (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
- ^ Peterborough (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
- ^ Environment Agency’s website (environment.data.gov.uk)