The government's recently published Anti-Social Behaviour plan highlighted fly-tipping as a priority and included a commitment to more than double on-the-spot fines for suspected fly-tippers from £400 up to £1000.
Council league tables on fly-tipping will also be published to pin-point how fly-tipping is being managed in different local authorities and identify any 'hot-spot' areas.
With central government outlining its determination to crack down on fly-tipping, now is the time to highlight the scourge of fly-tipping in rural areas and ask local authorities what they’re doing to tackle the issue locally.
NFU key asks:
The NFU is asking local authorities to:
- Issue fixed penalty notices to prosecute perpetrators and deter potential fly-tippers
- Promote the household duty of care to make householders aware that their responsibility for waste disposal is maintained to its final disposal point.
- Accredit all Council Enforcement Officers to become Community Safe Scheme Accredited to give them enhanced police-style powers to tackle littering.
To make it easy to highlight the issue of fly-tipping to your local councillor, the NFU has created an email tool, which sends a pre-prepared but editable letter to your councillor outlining the issue, setting out the three asks and asking what they are doing to tackle the local scourge of fly-tipping.
Simply fill in your details and hit send on the email.
“We need to take every opportunity to highlight the huge problem to both local and national politicians.”
NFU Vice President David Exwood
Contact your local council today
'Cost to farmers is shocking'
NFU Vice President David Exwood urged farmers to use the NFU’s email template and get in touch with their local council: “With fly-tipping still impacting two thirds of farmers across the country we need to take every opportunity to highlight the huge problem to both local and national politicians.
“The emotional toll and cost to farmers is shocking. It is good that the issue of fly-tipping has gained media attention recently with the Prime Minister’s focus as part of his anti-social behaviour action plan, but we all know it is local councils that can make a difference to us all on this issue.
“Now is the time to put tackling fly-tipping on the local agenda.”
Have you been affected by fly-tipping? Share your story with us on social media by tagging us @NFUtweets.
