Fly tipping is a major concern across Thames Valley and it can affect private landowners in both rural and urban locations. Conservative PCC Candidate, Matthew Barber, has already announced his intention to bring together a taskforce of local authorities, the Environment Agency and the police to develop a strategy to better tackle the problem, which can be big business for criminals.
Now in a first of a kind in Thames Valley, a new pilot scheme is being proposed to support farmers and landowners to remove fly-tipping from their land free of charge and to put in place measures to prevent it from happening again.
The pilot scheme is being supported by Michel Mead, Conservative Leader for West Oxfordshire.
Local councils do not remove fly-tipped waste on private land, that is the responsibility of the landowner, however councils do investigate reports of fly tipping.
Under the proposed scheme, farmers and private landowners in West Oxfordshire District would be able to report fly-tipping on their land and the council will arrange for the fly tip to be cleared – with the cost being met by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The council would then suggest measures that would help the landowner to prevent further tipping on their land.
Mobile, quickly deployable CCTV cameras could then be used in hot spot areas with the aim of securing evidence to catch and prosecute the fly tippers.
Matthew Barber, Conservative PCC candidate said fly-tipping on private land is an issue that is frequently raised, especially by people living in rural communities.
“Fly tipping is organised crime and can impact both urban and rural areas. I have spoken to many landowners who have had to bear the cost of this criminal activity. It harms their land; it harms the local environment and it is quite simply a crime.
“I want to help fight this criminal behaviour across Thames Valley, and so I look forward to the opportunity of working with West Oxfordshire to develop this pilot scheme. The initiative would be evaluated to understand its effect on fly tipping in those areas, and the ability to track down the offenders.”
Michele Mead, Conservative Leader for West Oxfordshire said:
“We take fly-tipping seriously and this project could make a big difference to how the council supports residents and prevents future fly tipping.”
