Fly tippers will be put under surveillance

North Lanarkshire Council has invested £115,000 in fixed and mobile CCTV cameras to monitor locations where fly tipping is a problem.

Anyone caught flytipping domestic waste faces a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200, and for serious offences this increases to £40,000 and/or two years in prison.

The council will also place large concrete barriers on sites it owns to prevent vehicles gaining access to dump materials illegally, while new signs at key locations will highlight the penalties.

Councillor Michael McPake, convener of the Infrastructure Committee, said: “There is simply no excuse for fly tipping; it’s a crime, it creates a mess in our communities and it can cause health and environmental problems.

“Every year the council has to spend almost £900,000 to clean up fly tipping from our land and local streets. That is a waste of public money, which could be spent on local services and improving North Lanarkshire.

“I want to reassure residents that we take fly tipping very seriously, and we will investigate and prosecute anyone caught dumping rubbish illegally. In some cases, it is people who can’t be bothered to take their rubbish to a recycling centre or book a special uplift; in others, it’s businesses claiming to dispose of household rubbish for a fee but who actually just dump it.

“Whoever is responsible for fly tipping, we will take action against them. We’re asking residents to help by reporting any incidents of fly tipping, giving as many details of the people and vehicles involved, and we will pursue them.

“North Lanarkshire is a great place to live and work, and we want to keep it clean and safe for everyone.”

Residents can dispose of household rubbish at one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres or by booking a special uplift. Each household is entitled to three free uplifts each year.

To report fly tipping or book a special uplift, call Northline on 01698 403100 or go to the council’s web site at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk.