Mackworth councillor Gaurav Pandey wants to mount a crackdown
Sophie Fagone Buscimese Trainee Reporter
06:00, 30 Mar 2026
Lots of rubbish has been dumped in the streets around Mackworth.
A Derby councillor has pleaded for people to take more pride in their area, which is “drowning” in fly-tipping.
Mackworth and New Zealand councillor Gaurav Pandey said he plans to crack down heavily on litter problems in the area as numerous instances are reported to him daily.
“A lot of people in the area report fly-tipping, and thankfully we have great volunteers who help take care of it,” he said.
“But that shouldn’t be their job – everyone should be looking after where they live.”
He said that part of the problem was overflowing and contaminated bins and the lack of penalty enforcement in those cases.
“Contamination of black bins is very common, and when the bins aren’t emptied because of what’s in them, instead of taking the items to a skip, people will dump their rubbish on the street,” Gaurav added.
“I want to start pushing for stronger enforcement. I would like for people to receive two warnings and then a fine for leaving bins contaminated, but someone has to chase it and that’s where it gets difficult.
“My message to fly-tippers is that if you get caught, you will get fined – up to £600. People in the area – take pride in where you live.”
Christmas trees, mattresses and bags of rubbish aren’t an uncommon sight in the area.
Volunteers Lynne and Andy have been picking up litter all across the area, sometimes up to 22 bags per street.
“It’s almost like fly-tipping has a ripple effect. When someone puts one thing out, everyone gets their rubbish out and puts it next to it,” they said.
“Even if we have picked a bag of litter and put it out for collection, within days, a mattress, a Christmas tree and whatever else you can think of will be next to it.
“God knows what this area would look like without Gaurav and all the volunteers. It’s incredibly hard to keep on top of it but we do our best.”
The volunteers are planning to take part in the Great British Spring Clean on April 11 and hope that many people join them.
“I think if we all come together and show people they need to respect where we live, we can make a difference,” they added.