Watford Borough Council

The fly-tipping of controlled waste is a serious criminal offence which carries a fine of up to £50,000 and/or 12 months imprisonment. If the case is very serious and goes to Crown Court an unlimited fine may be imposed and the prison term goes up to five years. It is important to realise that there can be offences committed by others before the fly tip, such as permitting the fly tip or causing the fly tip and the sanctions are the same as actually doing the fly tipping, or, if there is vehicle involved, there are offences relating to the controller of the vehicle.

• Anyone giving permission for fly tipping to occur on land they control will be open to investigation and prosecution.
  
  
• Anyone giving waste to a another person for disposal without checking a) whether that person is authorised to carry waste b) where the waste is going, and the waste is subsequently fly-tipped will be open to investigation and prosecution for causing the fly-tipping.
  
  
• Fly-tipping is often associated with dumping waste from vehicles. In this case the person controlling the use of the vehicle, normally the registered keeper, can also be prosecuted. This means that it is possible for a prosecution to occur when only the vehicle, not the driver, is identifiable.

Simple steps can prevent fly-tipping

If you give waste to anyone else ensure they are authorised to carry it. Ask for their carriers authorisation or tel: 08708 506506.

Ask where the waste is going. Use the waste directory online to check legitimate sites.

Ask for a receipt detailing where the waste is going, vehicle details and carriers authorisation number. This is a legal obligation if you are in business but is good practice if you are a private householder. Further information is available on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website.

If you are a business and need to know more about protecting your environment use Netregs online.

Witnessing fly-tipping

If you witness fly-tipping or fly-tipped rubbish; any information that you can provide will greatly assist us in our fight against this illegal activity.

To assist investigations it would be helpful if you could record as much detail as possible details and report immediately. All information is valuable to us and will be treated confidentially.

Please record all details immediately and keep safe. If you can take photos (e.g. camera phones) please do so.

Remember: Do not approach any individuals and do not put yourself in any danger.

• Date and time that you saw the fly tippers in action or discovered the rubbish.
  
• Location of the incident - address or local landmarks.
  
• A description of the rubbish e.g. builders rubble.
  
• How many people did you see?
  
• Did you recognise any of them?
  
• Can you describe them? (e.g. sex, hair colour, height, distinguishing features)
  
• What did you actually see these people do?
  
• Was there a vehicle involved - make/model/colour/registration number?
  
• Were there any distinguishing features or signs on the vehicle?
  
• Where were you when you saw the fly tipping: what kind of view did you have? how far away were you? weather and light conditions.
  

If you witness fly tipping actually taking place call the police on 999 and give as much detail as possible. If you discover fly tipped waste after the event call tel: 01923 278503 or report it online.

The council has a hot spot crew to tackle fly tipping and dumped rubbish from public land. We aim to remove fly tips within one day of notification. However very large accumulations of fly tipping that require investigation by an Environmental Crime Officer may take longer. Fly-tipped and dumped rubbish found on private land is the responsibility of the land owner.

In an attempt to reduce the number of fly tipping incidents, the council provides a bulky waste refuse service to all its residents. There is a charge for this service.

The Environment Agency has the statutory responsibility to investigate the larger scale fly tipping incidences where the waste may pose a serious risk to the environment and where the activity is linked to organised crime.

Remember - Don't put yourself at risk!