Wiltshire Council increases fines to send a clear message to fly-tippers and litterers

Friday, 19 April 2024 01:00

Wiltshire Council has raised the amounts of the fixed penalty notices (FPNs) that people will have to pay when they are caught fly-tipping, handing their waste to rogue traders or dropping litter.

Currently, the council issues £400 fixed penalties for small-scale fly-tipping and people that litter a maximum of £150 (or £100 if paid within ten days). Anyone who currently fails in their household duty of care to prevent fly-tipping – for example, handing their waste to an unlicensed person who then dumps the waste – can be fined a maximum of £400, or £200 if paid within ten days.

However, from 23rd April, the FPNs will be raised to £1,000 for fly-tipping, £500 for littering and £600 for household duty of care, with no early payment discount. This is in line with changes in legislation that allow the council to raise the fines.

Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Flooding, said: “We increased the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) we issued for fly-tipping by 118% in 2023, but whenever we issue a fly-tipping FPN, people always tell us that the fines should be higher to deter further environmental crimes.

“Thanks to changes in Government legislation, we can now raise the FPN rates, with a fine of £1,000 for anyone who is caught fly-tipping in Wiltshire. For more serious offences, we will prosecute fly-tippers rather than issue an FPN, and anyone found guilty in court could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

“This isn’t a money-making exercise, as all funds raised through FPNs have to be invested back into the service to catch more fly-tippers.

“We have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling fly-tipping, including employing more enforcement staff to catch criminals, using new technologies such as covert cameras, and further promoting our award-winning We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign.

“As part of our Business Plan commitment, we’ll continue to do all we can to fight the scourge of fly-tipping in Wiltshire – and these increased fines will help us to do that.

“Any household or business that is paying someone to take their waste away must ensure they have a valid waste carriers licence, record the vehicle details of the people collecting waste and get a receipt or waste transfer note.”

To find out more about fly-tipping in Wiltshire, including how to report it, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.

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