The Farmers Mart Jun-Jul 2018 - Issue 57 | Page 10

10 FARM NEWS
JUN/JUL 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk
HOW TO HANDLE FLY
TIPPERS ON YOUR LAND
FLY-TIPPING is a problem for many land
owners, with the illegal practice occurring
up and down the country. People frequent-
ly use farm land as a dumping ground ille-
gally instead of using authorised methods
of waste disposal. To help those suffering
from fly tippers, agricultural insurance pro-
viders Lycetts have created this guide on
how to reduce the chances of fly-tipping,
as well as what you can do if it is already
happening.
Fly-tipping
Fly-tipping is the act of disposing of
rubbish or large items on land that isn’t
licensed to receive waste.
Bags of rubbish, construction waste, mat-
tresses, beds, tyres, garden waste: all sorts
of things can constitute fly-tipping.
Frequency
The Daily Telegraph reported on the find-
ings of a freedom of information request by
ITV regarding the problem of fly-tipping in
the UK. Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive
Allison Ogden-Newton went as far as to say
that the crime has reached “crisis levels”
throughout the country.
The Daily Telegraph drew this conclu-
sion from findings that the problem has
increased by over a fifth year-on-year
in some regions. For example, almost
40,000 reported incidents were recorded
in the North London district of Haringey
between November 2015 and December
2016, with more than 30,000 incidents also
reported in Manchester over the same
period.
Although fly-tipping has dropped in some
parts of the country, the problem is far
from over. In Birmingham, for instance, the
number of fly-tipping cases are down by
13 per cent between November 2015 and
December 2016. However, the figure during
this period was still recorded at 21,000
offences.
‘ Fly-tipping is an
epidemic, it’s reached
crisis levels, and
something needs
to be done about it.
Local authorities are
overwhelmed with
instances of criminal
fly-tipping and we need
to address this urgently
’
“Fly-tipping is an epidemic, it’s reached
crisis levels, and something needs to be
done about it. Local authorities are over-
whelmed with instances of criminal fly-tip-
ping and we need to address this urgently,”
Ms Ogden-Newton stated.
Fly-tipping is a major issue for Scotland
in particular, says James Cuthbertson, an
account executive at Lycetts. Near to 61,000
fly-tipping incidents are recorded in this
country every single year, Mr Cuthbertson
has found.
He adds: “The culprits tend to think of this
practice as a victimless crime; but estimates
put the cost to Scottish tax payers at £8.9
million a year to clear and dispose of tipped
rubbish from council land. Farmers and
other countryside custodians must meet the
cost of clearing rubbish from private land
themselves, at an average of £1,000 a time.”
Prosecutions
Processes are in place to try and deter
would-be fly tippers.
The BBC released prosecution figures
of 1,602 for acts of fly-tipping carried out
across England between 2016 and 2017.
What’s more, 98 per cent of prosecutions
made resulted in a conviction. During the
same time, councils across England served
56,000 fixed penalty notices in regard to
cases of fly-tipping.
Penalties
Those caught fly-tipping can expect to
face a maximum penalty of an unlimited
fine and up to five years in prison. It is also
important to note that those who permit
fly-tipping to take place on their land or any
land that they rent will also be committing a
fly-tipping offence.
But, Mr Cuthbertson points out that
current penalties are not wholly effective:
“Fines of up to £40,000 can be imposed but,
given budgetary constraints, the pursuit of
fly tippers is well down the list of priorities
of councils and the police. Furthermore, it is
hard to gather evidence to bring a success-
ful prosecution.”
If fly-tipping happens to you
Any rubbish or waste on your private
property is your responsibility, and this
unfortunately includes fly-tipping.
However, be cautious of fly-tipping waste
on your land, as it may be dangerous or
hazardous. Therefore, bags and drums
should not be opened, and piles of soil
should be a cause for alarm bells as the
material could be contaminated or hiding
dangerous material.
Secondly, record everything you can of
the incident. This includes where you locat-
ed the waste, as well as taking photographs
if possible. After all details have been
recorded, report the case of fly-tipping to
your local authority:
• Those in England and Wales should
head to this GOV.UK page and re-
port fly-tipping by first entering the
postcode where the waste has been
discovered.