Carmarthenshire In Top 5 For Fly-Tipping Enforcement
Recent figures show that Carmarthenshire was in the top five performing local authorities when it comes to fly-tipping enforcement in Wales.
The number of recorded fly-tipping incidents fell 26% from 1,306 in 2014/15 to 972 in 2015/16, while 1,481 fly-tipping enforcement actions were taken, six of which were successful prosecutions that resulted in significant fines.
The figures have been released by Welsh Government*.
Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection, said: “Carmarthenshire operates a proactive strategy when dealing with fly tipping. We have a highly trained team who are dedicated to eradicating fly-tipping in the county. We use intelligence led techniques such as covert surveillance, as well help from members of the public to provide us with the necessary evidence to bring about successful prosecutions.
“We also work closely with partner organisations such as the police, Keep Wales Tidy, Fly-tipping Action Wales and Natural Resources Wales to share intelligence, which helps us identify offenders and reduce the number of fly-tipping incidents in our area.
“We always publicise our prosecutions via our marketing and media teams in order to raise awareness in the hope thus acts as a deterrent to any would be fly-tippers.
“It’s great to see that all the work we do on the ground in Carmarthenshire is reflected in the reduced number of fly-tipping incidents.”
Gary Evans, Programme Manager at Fly-tipping Action Wales, said: “We work with over 50 partners, including the 22 Local Authorities across Wales to reduce the number of incidents of fly-tipping. Local authorities play a vital part in the prevention and clearance of fly-tipping, and do a fantastic job educating their communities on the impact of this visual crime.
“Local authorities have also been active in bringing about successful prosecutions against fly-tippers which has resulted in some heavy fines being handed out.
“Fly-tipping is a crime – it can harm the environment, economy and local communities and if you are caught fly-tipping you could face fines of up to £50,000 or imprisonment.”
The majority of household items that are often fly-tipped can easily be re-used and restored by recycling charities. We all have a duty of care to ensure the waste from our homes is dealt with responsibly and legally and a failure to do so can result in serious fines.
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