MORE than 4,300 fly-tipping incidents cost Barnsley Council almost £250,000 to clear up in 2016/17, according to latest statistics.
The 4,328 recorded cases on council-owned land, from April 2016 to March 2017, represents a rise of 534 on the previous year’s figure, according to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Barnsley ranks as the fifth-worst area out of 21 councils in the Yorkshire and Humber region with only Bradford, Hull, Sheffield and Leeds registering more cases.
The alarming cost, which totals £238,224, comes despite the council’s award-winning anti-tipping campaign - #EverybodyThink - which says reported incidents have actually reduced since it started, although only one person, Mark Nicholls, of Mallory Way, Cudworth, has been successfully prosecuted at court.
Little Houghton parish councillor Kevin Osborne, whose area includes dumping hotspots, told the Chronicle that harsher punishments should be given to anyone caught tipping.
“I support Barnsley Council with everything they do as they are doing more with less resources, but fly-tipping is something that surrounds our community in particular and affects Barnsley as a whole.
“These figures may appear to be a lot but I don’t think it’s a true reflection of what’s going on. The problem is much worse as these are cases on council land, so we have no idea just how many there have been on private land.
“The area I represent feel like they are forgotten. We’re surrounded by fly-tipping and the majority of incidents go unpunished because they happen on privately-owned farming land.
“More often than not this land is secluded and out of sight so it’s easy for them to pitch up and dump as much as they please.”
According to government department DEFRA, more than one million incidents were dealt with by councils across England in 2016/17, which cost taxpayers £58m to clear up. On private land, the organisation estimates a cost of £1,000 per incident is shouldered by landowners.
“Enforcement action is needed this year,” Kevin said. “There’s plenty of evidence in the rubbish of who is doing it - they often leave letters with addresses on - but the council just isn’t putting that into action. One prosecution isn’t enough when there are more than 4,000 cases and that is disappointing for those who do report incidents.
“If people are caught red-handed, I’d like to see the council making them clear up their own mess. If they are able to dump it, they are able to clear it. They should be named and shamed - a digital version of the docks.
“If we can fine hundreds of people for dropping cigs outside Barnsley Town Hall, why can’t we catch fly-tippers?”
Coun Jenny Platts, cabinet spokesman for communities, said the ongoing battle against cleaning up fly-tippers’ mess is high on the council’s agenda.
“We‘re determined to reverse the trend here in Barnsley. With our #EverybodyThink campaign we’re asking people to think carefully about how and where they get rid of unwanted items and rubbish.
“We’re continuing the fight against fly-tippers, making good use of technology, social media and enforcement powers. Since sharing CCTV footage of suspected tippers in action, we’ve been able to identify a number of people and issue fixed-penalty notices for the illegal activity.
“The use of fixed-penalty notices for fly-tipping is part of a national crackdown on waste crime. It is proving a useful option, in addition to court prosecution, for the council as we work hard to deal with offenders effectively.
“We’d like to encourage people to keep on supporting our efforts by reporting fly-tipping and sharing our social media messages. Together we can make a difference and change behaviour.”
* Fly-tipping in Barnsley can be reported online at barnsley.gov.uk/everybodythink and information on known offenders can be shared confidentially by emailing safer@barnsley.gov.uk for the council’s enforcement team to investigate.
