Published September 6, 2021 at 8:23
Rossendale Council’s fight against the growth of fly tipping across the borough, Operation Trident, has issued fixed penalty notices amounting to more than £3,000 in the past few months.
The operation has successfully coordinated a three-pronged approach of Education, Enforcement and Removal, which aims to hold to account those responsible.
These offences include the dumping of a large fridge freezer by a man from Haslingden who received a £400 fixed penalty notice. A building contractor from outside the area was issued with two £400 fixed penalty notices for dumping large amounts of building rubble in Haslingden.
In June, a number of complaints were received about fly tipping at bin collection points on Beaconsfield Street, Haslingden, and a resident of the same street was issued a £400 fixed penalty notice for fly tipping.
Following a report of fly tipping on Gincroft Lane, Edenfield in July, three residents from Rochdale were each issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice for fly tipping.
And in May, a large quantity of household waste was transferred from properties in Darwen to the garden of a house in Haslingden.
Following an investigation by the council the owner of a Ford tipper wagon from Accrington was issued with a £300 fixed penalty notice for failing to produce a waste carriers’ licence.
Councillor Steve Hughes, Cabinet member for Communities, said: “These are just a few examples of the types of incidents that we have to deal with on a regular basis, and it’s incredibly frustrating.”
As part of Rossendale Council’s strategy of delivering a cleaner and greener borough, the council have stepped up their enforcement, vowing to be tough with those who blight the area with fly-tipping, abandoned vehicles, litter and dog fouling.
Fly tipping is a criminal offence and a conviction carries an unlimited fine and/or 12 months’ imprisonment or five years’ imprisonment if convicted at Crown Court.
Councillor Hughes continued: “Operation Trident has allowed us to step up enforcement to tackle incidents such as these quickly and effectively and the help provided by the general public in reporting these incidents is also crucial.
“We won’t hesitate to issue fixed penalties where we find evidence of illegal dumping and urge people to ensure that they are correctly and legally disposing of their rubbish. We want to deter people from dumping their rubbish illegally and hope that this evidence of the swift action we have taken will make them think twice.
“Rossendale Council takes issues like this very seriously and we’re committed to delivering a cleaner and greener borough.”
Rossendale receives more than 900 reports a year of fly tipping across the borough, which costs the council around £40,000 annually.