May 13, 2021 4.04 pm This story is over 34 months old

War on fly-tipping in North Kesteven after incidents spike by two thirds

Common fly-tipped items include mattresses and TVs

Images of previous fly-tipping incidents. | Photo: NKDC

Councillors have declared war on fly-tippers throughout North Kesteven after the number of incidents reported in the district spiked by two thirds in a year.

This comes after the figure jumped from 837 incidents in the 12 months ending in March 2020 to 1,045 in the same period finishing in March this year.

Incidents included rubbish dumped at Great Hale near Sleaford in January this year, for which the owner received a £400 fine for giving his waste to an unknown male to dispose of.

The owner of the waste was given a £400 fixed penalty notice for giving his waste to an unknown male to dispose of. | Photo: NKDC

A pile of rubbish including Rileys employee and membership record files were found dumped by the side of a road in Aubourn in February. Investigations are ongoing with the relevant authorities.

Other common forms of fly-tipping have included mattresses, televisions and fridges being dumped on street corners, green waste tipped on common land and lay-by bins being used for household or commercial waste by anyone passing by in a vehicle.

The waste, including employee record files, was found dumped on Moor Lane in Aubourn. | Photo: Chris S

North Kesteven District Council and other agencies have formed a county-wide Environmental Crime Partnership, which aims to reduce and prevent fly-tipping in Lincolnshire.

Other agencies that have signed up include Lincolnshire Police, Humberside Police, the Office of the Crime and Police Commissioner, the Environment Agency, the National Farmers’ Union, the Ministry of Defence, the Internal Drainage Board, the Forestry Commission, the Countryside Land Association and Anglian Water.

Employee Record Files were found dumped amongst the waste. | Photo: Chris S

Councillor Richard Wright, Leader of North Kesteven District Council, said: “This initiative is a real step forward because it means would-be fly-tippers now know that there are no areas anywhere in the county where tackling illegal dumping is not a high priority issue.

“The support the group has received is really good news because it means that fly-tipping is not just a council issue but all sorts of agencies want to help to convince people that this type of behaviour is just not acceptable.

“The council is fully committed to dealing with fly-tipping but we need help. I would urge anyone who sees anything suspicious when they are out and about to let us know about it as soon as possible and pass on registration numbers of any vehicles that could be involved.”

Fly-tipping in Great Hale near Sleaford in January 2021. | Photo: NKDC

The Environmental Crime Partnership is chaired by Ayeisha Kirkham, Environmental Protection Team Manager at North Kesteven District Council.

She said: “We would urge everyone to check out that someone offering to deal with their waste is genuine and not to pay in cash.

“Failure to do so will be expensive because if waste can be tracked back to the original owner they will be deemed responsible for it and face a prosecution or a fixed penalty fine of £400 with no discount for early payment and no opportunity to pay by instalments.”

Meanwhile, leader of Lincolnshire County Council Martin Hill promised to tackle fly-tipping when speaking to The Lincolnite about his priorities ahead of the recent elections. He was later reelected as leader.