Fly-tippers cost £31,000

Fly-tippers are leaving Wyre Forest taxpayers with a massive bill to clean up rubbish dumped illegally – but no one has been taken to court to claim back the cost this year.

The total cost of cleaning up after tippers in the district was £31,126, according to figures compiled by the environment agency Defra and the Local Government Association.

And during the past three years the cost of moving the mess has added up to more than £85,000.

Councillors admit it is not easy to catch the culprits – but say workers do try to sift through any rubbish found dumped on verges and open ground to track down those responsible.

Councillor Marcus Hart, cabinet member responsible for operational services with Wyre Forest District Council, said: "We are on the case and I think we do well in this district.

"We have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone seen dropping litter and we don't hesitate to do that.

"In terms of fly-tipping, a lot of it is commercial waste companies dumping things like washing machines and tyres because they don't want to send them to a specialist waste disposal.

"It's very difficult to catch people in action, but we do inspect what has been dumped and we have been able to track back to some people from what's in the rubbish bag in the past."

Across the West Midlands, authorities dealt with 73,093 cases of fly-tipping last year, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year's figures. More than £58 million was spent nationwide clearing up illegally tipped rubbish last year with £4.2 million spent across the West Midlands.

Councillor Hart said: "The fact that the rate of fly-tipping has not increased in the district is probably down to our vigilance and the number of campaigns we have encouraging people to dispose of waste properly."