Newly released data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reveals that over one million instances of fly-tipping occurred on public land across the UK in the last year, with the Southeast alone accounting for more than 100,000 cases.
While the figures shed light on the prevalence of these environmental crimes, the Country Land & Business Association (CLA), representing approximately 27,000 rural businesses in England and Wales, contends that they only tell a fraction of the story.
Many offences occurring on private rural land goundocumented, as farmers often have little faith in the police or council’s ability to address the issue and simply bear the cost of removing rubbish themselves.
The problem extends beyond sporadic litter, encompassing vast quantities of household and commercial waste, some of which can even be hazardous, risking the safety of people and animals. Unfortunately, it not only incurs an annual cost of£13.2 million for authorities in England, but it also has the potential to erode confidence in local government and damage the environment around us.
Recently, an area of Bristol Park described as a ‘Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Site’ by the council due to its protected wildlife, has become a hotspot for fly-tipping, littered with pieces of wood and broken furniture. Although the council encourages people to report these incidents via an online form, little is being done to find and prosecute those guilty of the crime.
Similarly, in February this year, several items were fly-tippedon protected and conserved land off Brading Downs Road in the Isle of Wight. This latest case was labelled ‘environmental vandalism’ after fridges, freezers and other appliances were dumped at the designated national landscape, an area that used to be known for its outstanding natural beauty. Once again, no legal action was taken against the fly-tippers.
With the maximum fine for waste dumping being £50,000 or a 12-month prison sentence, neither of which tend to be enforced, it seems that environmental criminals simply do not fear prosecution.
Despite local authorities adopting diverse strategies to combat the issue in alignment with their priorities, enforcement data reveals that only half of offenders are subject to legal action or prosecution. Specifically, out of one million incidents last year, a mere 536,000 enforcement actions were executed in England, encompassing fines, penalty notices, statutory notices, warning letters, and investigations.
Although not all hope is lost. According to Dyl Kurpil, Managing Director of District Enforcement, technology provides both a proven deterrent to fly-tipping and improved evidence to ensure offenders are identified and fined.
The latest generation of high-resolution camera technology, combined with advanced analytics and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), is helping in the identification of offenders and subsequent prosecution.
In Middlesbrough, for example, a significant clean-up operation and the implementation of video surveillance haveproven successful in curbing fly-tipping, bringing about a remarkable improvement in the local environment. As per recent data, incident reports decreased from an average of five a month to less than two, with none recorded in February just gone.
Comparably, the Winchester district suffered from a surge in fly-tipping incidents amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, following the appointment of a specialist officer with experience of evidence gathering and prosecution, along with the use of CCTV cameras and signage in hotspots, environmental vandalism has fallen by a noteworthy 40%. This reduction was the fifth highest in the country.
In essence, the combination of recorded imagery and ANPR identification significantly enhances the efficiency of enforcement processes.
Dahua Technology and WCCTV are among the leading companies providing these products.
For instance, in East London, residents of a set of housing estates successfully addressed illicit activities like fly-tipping. This achievement was made possible by a Dahua camera system, which incorporates intelligent motion detection alongside TiOCs (Three-in-One Cameras) that offer full-colour monitoring, built-in tracking, and active deterrence features.
WCCTV’s redeployable cameras also allow for the direct targeting of locations affected by fly-tipping, with their wireless communication technology enabling live video feedsregardless of internet connectivity. To increase the camera’s effectiveness when tackling fly-tipping, WCCTV can enhance all its redeployable CCTV systems with video analytics capability and ANPR technology, much like Dahua.
Ultimately, fly-tipping blights communities. Leveraging these advanced tools can provide enforcement officers with accurate and fast information resulting in a realistic prospect of success at prosecution.
