Rural leaders renew fly-tipping campaign

Business leaders have launched a three-point plan to combat fly-tipping in the countryside.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is calling on the government to ensure local authorities accept fly-tipped waste at local tips without charge to landowners. It also wants an end to the prosecution of landowners who have hazardous waste dumped on their land and then have to foot the bill for its removal.

The CLA said local authorities should work with police forces and other bodies on a zero-tolerance approach to the perpetrators of environmental crime.

CLA President William Worsley said: “Fly-tipping is a key area of concern to CLA members, some of whom have suffered terribly.” He added: The system currently does not work and is grossly unfair to fly-tipped landowners and farmers.”

Many people were afraid of reporting fly-tipping incidents for fear of being fined or incurring heavy costs when they had done nothing wrong. An urgent review by Defra and the Environment Agency was needed to find better ways for landowners were able to recycle materials dumped on their property.

The government was not acting quickly enough, said Mr Worsley.

The CLA has long campaigned for action over the blight of fly-tipping. It has been working on pilot schemes through the Landowner Partnership to record incidents of fly-tipping on private land.

Mr Worsley said: “This has highlighted reporting problems and made it clear further work needs to be done to set up schemes to dispose of fly-tipped waste.”

The CLA recently worked with Bernard Jenkin, MP for North Essex, on his 10-minute rule Bill on fly-tipping. This saw the association present a petition with more than 2,000 signatures to Defra and push for free disposal of fly-tipped material at local dumps.