Cornwall fly-tipping fines jump to £5,000 as cameras go covert

You pay someone a few quid to take away the old mattress and a pile of rubbish from the garden. A week later it turns up dumped down a country lane. In Cornwall, that fine could end up with your name on it.

Cornwall Council has launched a new campaign against fly-tipping and is asking residents to help. Over the past five years, 17,500 fly-tips have been recorded across the county.

A bigger fine, and cameras you won’t see

The maximum fine for fly-tipping has gone up from £1,000 to £5,000.

The council is also using covert cameras to help identify offenders. And its Community Protection Team has powers to seize vehicles it believes have been used for fly-tipping. The team uses a variety of methods to trace those responsible for illegal dumping.

Check who is taking your rubbish away

This is the part that catches householders out. If you pay someone to remove waste, check they are a licensed waste carrier first.

If waste is handed to an unlicensed carrier and later dumped illegally, the householder could be fined.

How to report a fly-tip

Residents are being encouraged to report fly-tipping on public land, along with any photos or videos that could help identify whoever dumped it.

If you witness fly-tipping, you can report it to Cornwall Council and share anything that might help trace those responsible.

What the council says

Sarah-Jane Brown, Group Leader for Community Protection at Cornwall Council, said: “There’s no excuse for fly-tipping.

“We work hard to identify those responsible for illegal dumping and will hold offenders to account wherever possible.

“We’re asking people to play their part and work with us to prevent fly-tipping, and to share any information that may help us trace those responsible for dumping rubbish.”

Councillor Thalia Marrington, cabinet member with responsibility for Community Safety and Public Protection, said fly-tipping can cause serious harm to communities, the environment and wildlife, and costs councils and landowners huge amounts of money to clear up.

“This is an issue that we take really seriously and those who choose to dump waste illegally should be in no doubt that we will pursue enforcement action wherever possible,” she said.