As regular readers of these pages will know I try to set aside the time to take a walk around the streets at least three times a week. This is to keep track of what’s going on in the village but also to spot any recurrent incidents of littering or fly-tipping before they get out of hand.
In all the years I’ve carried out this ritual there has always been a certain level of fly-tipping but recently incidents have soared meaning I’m often spending upwards of an hour each day reporting incidents.
I’m not sure about the reasons behind this increase; it might be because people are spending more time at home or because a greater number of the properties in our villages are being let to people who simply don’t have as much pride in our community as the rest of us.
Whatever the reason, the impact this constant fly-tipping is having on our community isn’t acceptable so I’ve asked the council to carry out some research into the background to the latest increases. I think we need to know where there are any particular ‘hot-spots’ for fly-tipping (I know of at least two in Blackhall Colliery alone), whether reported incidents are properly investigated to try and identify the culprit and from these investigations how many people are successfully prosecuted - and if none of the above is happening we need to know why.
I don’t want to see residents being prosecuted, especially when times are so tough, but neither do I want to see the villages we all love succumb to mountains of litter and fly-tipping generated by a handful of people who don’t share our pride in the community.
Once I have the figures requested I’ll be asking the service to consider solutions that have proved effective in reducing fly-tipping at other locations. I also intend introducing more formal walkabouts in the villages with estate officers, neighbourhood wardens, PCSOs and other agencies to monitor progress and identify potential problems before they take hold.
Hopefully, the handful of residents creating the problem will eventually get the message that fly-tipping is never acceptable - and that there will be consequences for persistent offenders.
