A council has issued a warning to those who "blight" communities as Knowsley residents call for "more respect".
The ECHO has reported on many issues involving fly-tipping right across the region, but here in Knowsley, the issue is "rife". Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste and according to the council is "dangerous, damages the environment and costs a huge amount of money to clean up".
New teams were brought in earlier this year who will be patrolling streets across the borough every day and can issue fixed penalty notices of £150 to people caught littering. They can also issue fines to those failing to clean up after their dog or other environmental offences.
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But we asked Knowsley Council how many fly-tipping reports are made each year, and for 2022, what are the top 10 streets where fly-tipping occurs. Chatting to residents in the borough, many say the same thing as they urge others to "have respect for where you live".
Carol, who did not wish for her surname to be published, said: "We live opposite a field and sometimes you'll just see rubbish thrown there. Huyton gets a bad name, a bad reputation, already and I don't think things like that help the situation.
"It's like living in the slums sometimes, people just have no respect, it's disgusting. It's attracting rats. Think about the kids and everyone who lives here."
Freedom of Information data obtained by the ECHO has revealed the top 10 streets reported for fly-tipping in Knowsley in 2022. These include:
- Boode Croft, Stockbridge Village
- Cross Hillocks Lane, Widnes
- Green Way, Huyton
- Grosvenor Road, Prescot
- Pennard Avenue, Huyton
- Rimmer Avenue, Roby
- Roseheath Drive, Halewood
- Simonswood Lane, Kirkby
- Station Road, Roby
- Woodfarm Hey, Stockbridge
According to Freedom of Information Data, thousands of fly-ripping reports were made to the council for 2021 and 2022. However, some figures may contain duplicate reports of fly tipping due to being registered on both Environmental Health service and Streetscene service, both of which are responsible for clearing the rubbish.
From the available data, in 2021 StreetScene received 3,011 reports of fly-tipping in the borough compared to 2,219 up to October 24 this year. Environmental health received 828 reports last year compared to 548 in 2022 to date.
One woman, who did not wish to be named, said trolleys are constantly left around the Page Moss area. The annual cost to the council for the removal of any fly-tipped waste is not known due to the "multi-functional manner in which the Council’s Streetscene Service is deployed". But data shows that in 2020, a total of 12 fixed penalty notices were issued in Knowsley. This includes three in July and three in November.
In 2021, a total of 12 fixed penalty notices were issued in Knowsley compared to six in 2022 to date.
A spokesperson for Knowsley Council said: "Keeping our Borough clean and tidy is a priority for the Council but unfortunately, there are a small minority of people who fly tip and blight our communities. We do record a high volume of reports for fly tipping in Knowsley – on investigation, many are simply cases of excess rubbish (where a waste recycling centre should have been used) rather than fly tipping incidents and many are found to be duplicate/multiple reports as a record is created for every report we receive.
"In the high number of cases of excess rubbish, we do clear the site but are often unable to collate evidence in order to prosecute those responsible due to the waste being comprised of a single item such as an old toy or a small household appliance.
"We are doing all that we can to identify offenders, helped by our extensive CCTV network across the Borough, and will take action against those responsible whenever possible. This includes prosecuting offenders where we have sufficient evidence as well as issuing Fixed Penalty Notices.
"We also work with our partners, particularly if the fly tipping relates to a social housing provider or a local business. As well as reviewing CCTV footage, we also thoroughly examine all items that are fly tipped to identify those responsible. However, in the majority of cases, the items cannot be traced back to their previous owners."
Residents are urged to contact the council and report cases of fly-tipped waste by emailing environmentalhealth@knowsley.gov.uk. In the case of major incidents of fly tipping, such as lorries dumping waste, these should be reported to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The council spokesperson added: "Community information is vital to help us to tackle fly tipping. Often local people have a good idea of who is responsible - with their help, we can effectively target our response to collate essential evidence in order to prosecute. Thanks to community information, we have been able to successfully prosecute a number of fly tippers and we are continuing to collate information in order to bring more offenders to justice.
"There is simply no excuse for fly tipping in Knowsley. There are two waste recycling centres located in the borough (in Huyton and Kirkby) and the Council also operates a bulky waste collection service. Everyone should dispose of their rubbish responsibly."
More information on how to dispose of waste can be found here.
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