Fixed Penalty Notice for a fly-tipping crime caught on camera
People are reminded to dispose of their waste responsibly as an individual has been caught fly-tipping in Ceredigion.
Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of waste onto land without a licence to accept it. Only Household Waste Sites and Transfer Stations are licensed to accept waste in Ceredigion. Fly-tipping is a serious environmental crime that costs the UK taxpayer between £100-150 million every year.
Ceredigion County Council has recently sourced funding to place cameras at fly-tipping hot spots across the county through the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Hot Spot Response Fund, a UK Government initiative.
A surveillance camera was placed in a covert location overlooking a layby which has been identified as a fly-tipping and littering hotspot for several years. The camera caught an individual who arrived at the site in a car and threw a white plastic bag into vegetation bordering a river, before driving off again.
The white bag was found on a later date by an officer and contained general litter such as sandwich wrappers and plastic bottles. These materials, which were deposited so close to a river, would inevitably pollute the local environment.
The individual had breached Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which states that a person is guilty of an offence if they throw down, drop or otherwise deposit any litter in any place to which this section applies and leaves it.
The individual was issued a Fixed Penalty Notice in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which was duly paid.
Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I am delighted to hear about the positive enforcement outcome relating to a fly-tipping case in Ceredigion. It is fantastic news that the trail cameras purchased with ASB Hotspot Funding ensured that the offender could be identified and a fixed penalty notice issued quickly. It is vitally important that we continue to use funding opportunities to implement innovative interventions such as this to ensure that our communities remain safe and free from all types of anti-social behaviour.”
Councillor Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion's Cabinet Member responsible for Public Protection said: “Fly-tipping is a serious crime and harms our environment. It’s important that we dispose of our waste responsibly, by using the proper facilities, so that we can keep our communities clean and safe for everyone. The Public Protection team are doing a fantastic job in bringing people who do not comply with this to account. Let’s work together to keep our communities clean and safe.”
You can find more information about fly-tipping and the law here: Fly Tipping