Fine time for fly tipper
18 year old Paul Neafcy from Ashton-in-Makerfield was fined £300 by Wigan Magistrates and ordered to pay £300 costs to the Council after admitting dumping cardboard boxes full of rubbish in Drummers Lane, Ashton. The area had previously been identified as a fly tipping hotspot and officers were able to trace Mr Neafcy from information contained amongst the rubbish.
Mr Neafcy explained that he had put the rubbish in his van and then forgot about it. He only remembered late at night and realised he needed the van to be empty for work the next day. He panicked and decided to dump the rubbish.
Wigan Council's Public Health Services Manager, Dave Bithell says: "Nothing blights the borough quite like fly tipping and we've now got a four-strong team of trained specialist officers, armed with some pretty tough powers, ready to clamp down. We are delighted to have achieved this first conviction and it won't be the last. Magistrates appreciated the gravity and scale of the problem, and Mr Neafcy was told in no uncertain terms that he was being punished for serious anti-social behaviour."
In a typical year it can cost the council anything up to £80,000 to clean up after fly tippers. Since the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act came into force earlier this year, littering in all open spaces or on other people's property is now illegal - and Wigan Council is working closely with the Environment Agency and the police to bring fly tippers to account.
Dave Bithell continues: "We are very keen to make people aware of the new laws, and let people know how they can dispose of their waste without resorting to fly tipping. But we are also using the latest CCTV technology, so the team can go undercover at locations across the borough to catch the fly tippers in the act. The cameras can be deployed within minutes. We can also use them in quite a high-profile way so they are clearly visible to give the fly tippers the message that certain areas are being watched. It's early days, but the longer the system has been running the more fly tipping hot spots we will add to the list and the more we will be able to keep an eye on."
The maximum penalty for fly tipping is a £50,000 fine or five years in prison. Residents can take their waste to a recycling centre in the car as normal or can apply for a permit if they have to use a van or need to make more trips. Wigan Council also provides a collection service to remove bulky waste from homes - it costs just £10 for seven items.
This was Wigan Council's recently established Anti-Fly Tipping Squad's first conviction.