| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:£1,000 envelope in Hounslow | |
| Posted by: | Guy Lambert | |
| Date/Time: | 23/11/25 23:04:00 |
| I've been following up flytipping for years. When I was on Cabinet I did something specific about Steve Taylor's repeated problem after apologising him and I never heard of it again so I presume it was resolved. Prosecuting fly tippers is extremely difficult. The rogues habitually use cloned registration plates so even if they can be identified they often don't help. Plus they usually dump in secluded places (I have seen 2 major commercial dumps on Dukes Meadows in the last couple of months alone) Even if we catch a rogue tipper, there are long delays in the courts and prosecuting is a very expensive exercise and fines are insufficient to really deter. A couple of years ago we targeted a regular tipping place. It involved multiple CCTVs,and a large amount of officers and lawyers' time creating a case. At the end of well over a year, there was a fine of ~£4K Most of the flytipping is not like that anyway. It is householders who can't be bothered (or landlords who have provided no facilities or instructions) or businesses trying to reduce costs for their waste contracts by reducing volumes. Street bins are very popular with traders, or just dumping - say - next or in the 'grit bins' provided for people who live in flats above shops. The council has recently employed APCOA to spray around fines of £1000 to anyone who has left an address on something that ends up on the street or in a council bin, usually in my experience due to the bin overflowing and the item (usually paper or cardboard) blowing out, being placed next to an overfilled bin or potentially deliberately removed by a contractor to create a revenue stream. As far as I'm concerned this is not fly tipping at all and I have written to all the Cabinet members urging them to desist from this. If the matters I am aware of end up in court, I'm pretty sure they will be thrown out. I have asked if the current contractors retain the booty they create as the previous contractors did, but nobody has replied. I am working today on a report from a resident in my ward. This has been reported both to the local police and to the council's enforcement team. As this involves 5 or more mattresses I believe it is either a landlord or a professional dumper. The resident has identified the culprit and his (displayed) registration number and has previously confronted him with his behaviour and told to naff off. No response from police yet but a council officer responded today (Sunday - the day I alerted him) "a member of the Team will liaise with CCTV colleagues to ascertain if there are any cameras covering this location and if there is any footage captured of the incident that will enable the pursuance of enforcement action. If the fly-tipping incident was personally witnessed by a Resident and they are willing to provide a witness statement and if necessary to appear in Court to validate; then this is evidence that may be utilised to pursue enforcement action where we do not have any CCTV footage. I note the report regarding the vehicle being untaxed from 18/11/25 – this is not something that the Enforcement Team have any jurisdiction over – however I attach below a link for reporting this directly to DVLA if the vehicle remains untaxed going forward – with information regarding the usual location where parked being required:" |