Taxpayers pay the penalty for tipping (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Taxpayers pay the penalty for tipping

COTSWOLD District Council has revealed the cost of fly-tipping to taxpayers as Government figures reveal that rubbish is dumped somewhere in England every 35 seconds.

The district council records about one incident of fly-tipping on its land every day, which costs at least £10 to deal with and often much more.

Councillor Lynden Stowe, who has responsibility for the environment, said items dumped ranged from sacks of household rubbish to garden waste, tyres, fridges and asbestos sheets. "Householders who choose to dump waste instead of taking it to the tip or using the council's collection service are acting selfishly and illegally," he said.

"The costs soon mount up. Our waste contractor charges us £10 per incident to remove the waste - around £3,500 per year.

"But some larger incidents may cost a lot more - a load of tyres, for example, recently cost the taxpayer £365 to get removed. On top of that, the county council taxpayers must bear the cost of disposing of the waste.

"The cost is not only financial - fly-tipping poses a threat to the environment. The most difficult dumped material to deal with is asbestos, which is potentially harmful."

Councillor Stowe spoke out yesterday as Defra, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association revealed national fly-tipping figures. The statistics showed that fly-tipping costs British taxpayers £100 every minute.

The figures were collated through Flycapture, a national database created last year. Local authorities, including Cotswold District Council, have been recording information on fly-tipping incidents for the past six months.

Cllr Stowe vowed that action would be taken against offenders. "If we can prove who dumped the waste, not just who owns it, we will not hesitate to prosecute. We urge anybody not to tackle fly-tippers but to note the vehicle registration number and report it to the council."

The council offers a bulk waste collection service costing £14 for three items, regardless of size of item or distance travelled. For information call 01285 868050.

Waste can also be taken to tips at Fosse Crosse, north of Cirencester, Pyke Quarry, near Horsley, Purton, near Swindon, and Shipston.

Fly-tipped waste on private land should be cleared by the landowner because the council is responsible only for public land.