Charlie Baker is head of environment services at Croydon Council. He thinks the reason the figures are so high is that it’s easy to report fly-tipping in Croydon via an app.
He also said the council clears tips very quickly which means it is a victim of its own success.
“I do believe we are making a difference. That’s supported with our zero tolerance approach, along with the implementation of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs), and in cases like the one we’re clearing today, we will be looking to secure a prosecution through the courts.”
“This year alone, we’ve issued 315 FPNs for environmental crimes, but there’s always more that we can do. In some cases, we are able now to issue fines up to £1,000.”
“Significant cases like here, where we are confident we can secure a conviction, we will look to prosecute, and those fines, we’d be looking at anywhere in excess of £4,000.”
He added that working with local residents and communities brings in extra intelligence to help secure a conviction.
“That may be through ring doorbell footage, evidence that we’ve extracted from this site today.”