BROMSGROVE District Council’s enforcement team has received a £29,000 boost to help it clamp down on fly-tipping and other environmental crimes.

Currently the authority spends more than £1million-a-year clearing up local streets and last year alone – from 2023/24 – there were 1,544 incidents of rubbish and waste dumping at 417 sites across the district.

That was up from 1,246 incidents between 2022/23, showing the problem is escalating.

This year, more enforcement staff and intelligence experts from Worcestershire Regulatory Services are working hard to catch criminals who dump their waste.

Special deployable CCTV cameras are recording in multiple locations across the district, and brand new online reporting tools have made it easier than ever for residents to provide information that could lead to fines and prosecutions.

Last year there were 49 investigations into fly-tips across Bromsgrove district – 13 formal letters were sent out and one person was given a fixed penalty notice.

‘Selfish minority need to be stopped’

Bromsgrove District Council’s portfolio holder for environmental services and community safety, Coun Peter Whittaker, said most people disposed of their waste properly and responsibly, such as by using registered waste carriers, so no nasty problems were created for anyone else.

“It’s not hard. But there’s a tiny minority who either don’t know or don’t care about the impact dumping unwanted items has on a community.

“Imagine what our staff could be doing to actually improve our neighbourhoods, instead of being forced to spend their time clearing up illegally dumped rubbish.”

Councillors agreed the £29k boost to the authority’s existing enviro-crime enforcement capacity for the 2024-25 year, as part of wider enforcement improvements at the authority which also included an extra £149k to deal with unauthorised developments through planning enforcement.

Coun Whittaker added: “The considerable professional skill and expertise of WRS in enforcement matters will benefit residents, improve justice, and deter criminals, helping to keep our communities safe, well maintained, and green.”

Visit the Report It section of the Bromsgrove District Council website to report any fly-tipping or search for ‘Bromsgrove District Council’ on the App Store or Play Store to find the district council’s handy new reporting app.

A list of registered waste carriers in the area is available from the Environment Agency’s website.