Sefton Council said it will be commencing surveillance at fly-tipping hotspots across the borough
Cllr Neil Doolin at site of fly tipping on Dean Street, L22(Image: Handout)
A councillor said he discovered an incident of ‘monstrous fly tipping’ in one part of Merseyside and is calling on the council to take stronger action to tackle the problem.
Cllr Neil Doolin said he has been contacted several times by his constituents expressing their ‘absolute anger’ about fly tipping and the lack of an adequate response – criticising the local authority and himself.
The Liverpool ECHO has reported on several incidents of fly tipping in south Sefton, including the illegal dumping of countless heavy duty items – fridges, couches, sofas, mattresses, building materials – dumped onto people’s streets and cast into entries.
Fly-tipping or the illegal disposal of household, industrial, commercial or other waste is a serious criminal offence and costs local authorities tens of millions of pounds. Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show there were 3,903 fly-tipping incidents in Sefton in 2023.
Sefton Council said it is implementing plans to address the fly-tipping issue including the introduction of surveillance at fly tipping hotspots across the borough. In April, the local authority issued a warning that anyone found to be engaged in fly tipping could face a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £400 or an unlimited fine.
Yesterday (Sunday October 12) Cllr Neil Doolin posted an update while on a walk-around his Church ward constituency, he wrote: “We came across this monstrous fly tipping incident on Dean Street in Waterloo.
“For years local residents have continually reported these incidents to Sefton Council and I’ve personally raised it with Sefton Council for nearly three years. On the 30th September I again escalated this issue to the Council Enforcement Team and asking for positive action to be taken e.g. installation of CCTV to catch the individuals.
Fly tipping on Dean Street, L22(Image: Handout)
“The response? It appears that Sefton Council simply does not have the required CCTV kit to lead to successful convictions, requires wifi, its too expensive and not good at identifying individuals at night.”
“In my inbox this morning (October 13), a resident for that area emailed me to express her absolute anger and frustration for the lack of action from everyone, including me. I don’t blame her for being so angry. The situation is unacceptable.
“I’ve contacted the Enforcement Team again this morning, asking for action to be taken, asking for a meeting and even offering the use of councillor ward funds to finance any equipment required.”
Cllr Peter Harvey, Cabinet Member for cleansing and street scene said: “We will be commencing surveillance at fly-tipping hotspots across Sefton.
“Anyone caught on camera dumping waste illegally will face enforcement action, either a fixed penalty notice or prosecution in court. I echo Cllr Doolin’s view that fly-tipping is a selfish and appalling environmental offence. It drains public funds and blights our communities.
“We remain committed to strengthening our response, including the use of surveillance technology, to tackle this issue head-on.
“In the meantime, I urge ward councillors and members of the public to report fly-tipping promptly via Fly-Tipping and share any information about suspected offenders.
“Councillors and members of the public can also help amplify the council’s message: fly-tipping will not be tolerated in Sefton.”
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