More Tippers Caught on Camera

More flytippers have been caught on camera as Harlow Council continues to target illegal dumping.Photos of people illegally dumping waste at Gilden Way and the Swimming Pool have been taken over the past few weeks and now the Council is linking the pictures to identities and car registrations.

Once the information is complete, the Council will be pressing ahead with fixed penalty notices and prosecutions. In the meantime, the message to anyone thinking of flytipping is – we are watching!

Flytipping costs council taxpayers thousands of pounds each year. The waste that they dump could have easily been disposed of free of charge at the town’s amenity and recycling site, local recycling banks or through the bookable green waste collection scheme. Householders are also warned that if tradespeople are offering to take rubbish away, the Householder could be liable for prosecution if the contractor dumps the rubbish illegally. Booklets explaining the householder’s duty of care are available free of charge at the Civic Centre.

Punishments range from a £50 fixed penalty in the least serious cases up to prosecutions with potential fines of £50,000 and even imprisonment.

Residents wishing to dispose of garden waste or any rubbish should use the Recycling Centre for Household Waste (former Civic Amenity Site) at Temple Bank, Riverway. This centre is open seven days a week from 8am to 5pm including Bank Holiday Monday. For large household items the Council operates a free heavy squad service, which needs to be booked in advance. There is also a limited garden waste collection service. This is allocated on a first come first served basis, though there are a limited number of slots reserved for those who have genuine difficulty transporting their green waste. For more information telephone Contact Harlow on 446655.

In order for the Council to take action against flytippers it needs residents help with eyewitness information, which can be reported to the Council anonymously on 446655. The Council needs as much information as possible, i.e. vehicle registration numbers, times, dates and descriptions of the people in order to take action. Residents can report any anti-social behaviour incident by phoning the "it's your call" action-line on 0845 605 2222 or on-line at www.saferharlow.info or sending us a photo image on your mobile phone to 07739 888558 please enter the keyword "Harlow".

Chairman of Environment and Community Committee Cllr Eleanor Macy said: “One bag of flytipping leads to another, then another and then we start to get problems such as rats and bad smells, particularly in summer. The last thing law abiding residents want to see is bags of dumped rubbish and vermin. Flytipping is carried out by a small minority of people who aren’t getting the message that we will catch up with them. Also, if you are paying someone else to take your rubbish away, make sure that they will dispose of it properly. If they dump it, it’s down to you and you will get the fine.”

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