The NFU has anecdotal evidence of an upsurge in fly-tipping on farmland in the region and is today asking homeowners to check that any ‘white van man’ they employ to dispose of waste has a Waste Carriers Licence and is disposing of their rubbish legitimately – otherwise they run the risk of prosecution.
NFU North West’s Environment and Land Use Adviser Adam Briggs says everyone can play their part in preventing fly-tipping by being vigilant and checking the credentials of anyone offering to remove rubbish.
Mr Briggs said: “The NFU has heard reports of homeowners thinking they’ve got a bargain by paying someone £90 to remove rubbish only to be left mortified when their waste has turned up on a nearby farm.
“Sadly, it could also turnout to be hugely costly for the unsuspecting homeowner who has been scammed. You can be issued a £400 fixed penalty notice or fined up to £5,000 by councils if your bulky household waste is fly-tipped by an illegitimate waste removal service and you’ve failed to make sufficient checks.”
If you’re looking to have waste removed from your property or business, a legitimate waste carrier will always:
- Be registered with the Environment Agency
- Have a waste carrier licence which can be verified on the Environment Agency Website
- Provide a waste transfer note for removal of any waste on request (e.g. following building or garden work)
- Provide details of the site license where the waste is to be disposed
- Be able to provide proof of where it was taken in the form of an official weight ticket which will identify the disposal site
Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team has increased its vigilance recently and as a team are going out into the county checking vehicles visibly carrying waste, as well as the type of vehicles you’d expect to be carrying waste.
Sgt Robert Simpson said: “Nobody can get rid of your rubbish for less than £140. If you’re being charged anything less, then your waste is undoubtedly being dumped illegally in the countryside or onto farms. It’s certainly not going to landfill.
“Personally, I’m also fed up of people coming up with excuses for fly-tipping. The tips being closed due to coronavirus is obviously the prominent one at the minute. I don’t want to hear the excuses. It’s a crime. Full stop.”
NFU North West Combinable Crops Board Chairman Olly Harrison of Water Lane Farm in Prescot, Merseyside has been the victim of persistent fly-tipping since Household Waste and Recycling Centres closed because of coronavirus.
He has continually highlighted the problem via his Facebook and twitter feeds.
Mr Harrison said: “This is organised crime. Fraud. I’m pleased the Joint Unit for Waste Crime are going after the organised gangs profiteering from this crime. If you stop the gangs the problem will reduce significantly.”
NFU Lancashire County Chairman Lisa Edwards says the lack of green bin collections is further exacerbating the problem.
“We have had five bags of green waste dumped at the end of our road. I fear this is just the beginning of things to come,” she said.
The NFU has concerns over the health and welfare of farmers as well as the cost and inconvenience of being responsible for clearing up the material, impacting them to a much greater degree.
Guidance for landowners who find themselves victims of fly-tipping as a result of outcomes caused by COVID-19 should visit the NFU’s Rural Crime Hub