Sefton Council has been slammed for leaving areas “like a war zone” after only issuing five fixed penalty notices for fly tipping in the whole of 2022.
Green campaigner and Green party candidate for Church ward Neil Doolin said people felt “let down” by the lack of action over fly tipping in the borough and was concerned at the lack of enforcement action revealed in an FOI he submitted to Sefton Council earlier this year.
In an FOI response shared with the ECHO, Sefton Council confirmed it had only issued five fines to people for dumping rubbish on the borough’s streets in 2022.
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Mr Doolin said the council’s lack of action was exacerbated by its policy of charging for bulky waste collection and called for the council to scrap the charge and step up enforcement throughout the borough.
Speaking to the ECHO, Mr Doolin said: “Fly tipping is a big issue for people and lots of people feel let down and it makes people feel like they’re living in a rundown area.
“It impacts on communities and the reputation of an area comes down. Most people love their areas and people in Seaforth and Litherland love living here, but the rubbish and flytipping being dumped everywhere it makes people unhappy, at times it can feel like you’re living in a war zone.”
Mr Doolin said the way the council was running its bulky item collection service was exacerbating the problem.
He said; “The big issue here is that Sefton already has a system in place called the bulky item collection where you can pay £10 for a van to come to your door and remove up to three items.
“The problem is a lot of residents are actually struggling with the cost of living crisis and experiencing financial hardship, so I’m sure some of this problem with flytipping is down to people simply being unable to afford the service.”
He added that he often reported issues to Sefton Council with items then being removed within a couple of weeks, but said this was also an approach adopted by residents unable to afford paying the collection charge.
He said: “All people have to do is dump the item and if they want it picking up they use the reporting system. If the council want to increase the usage of their bulky item collection service, it should scrap the £10 charge.
“I feel that will encourage residents to use the service more and not feel they have to dump items instead.”
With the lack of penalty notices issued, he said this sends the wrong message to people about the consequences of fly tipping in the borough with it “feeling like open season” for people to discard their waste items.
Mr Doolin said: “There just doesn’t seem to be any enforcement, and if only five fines are issued, it’s basically saying you can dump want you want and the risk of being caught and fined is minimal.”
He said the council needed to act not only on prevention but also enforcement, stating: “I’m calling for more council officers to be deployed and more use of CCTV to enforce the fines, especially around the hotspots, and residents know where these hotspots are. CCTV could be set up in those areas to try and catch individuals.”
Referring to a report released by Sefton Council last year acknowledging the need for more enforcement agents but stating the funds were not available to bring this about, Mr Doolin said: “That’s not the response that we need from the council.
“It just can’t be the case that the response from the council on this issue and other issues is that there’s no money. We know that there is money in the system and it’s being spent elsewhere.
“There has to be a commitment to putting more money into supporting people to keep their areas clean and prosecute people when that can be done.”
A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “Illegally dumped rubbish can become a serious health and safety problem if not tackled quickly. Dealing with it costs the Council a six-figure sum each year, which is funding that could otherwise be spent on services benefiting local people and communities.
“We remind people that fly tipping is a serious criminal offence and those offending could see hefty fines and repercussions, starting with a fine of £400 issued by Enforcement Officers and a maximum fine of £50,000 or twelve months’ imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates Court. The offence can also attract an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court.
“We would also recommend people check who they are hiring to dispose of their waste as they may be liable for a fine or face prosecution if their waste is fly-tipped. All reputable and licensed firms will be able to provide evidence of their Environment Agency permissions.
“For large items we offer a Bulky Items collection service, which costs £10 for up to three items. This is a small charge in comparison to the £400 fine if someone is caught fly tipping.
“By using our collection service, residents can be assured that all items will be disposed of safely and properly, which helps to make Sefton a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit.”
The spokesperson also urged people to report any fly tipping they see to Sefton Council by contacting 0345 140 0845 or logging it via the council website.
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