Stafford fly-tippers can now be fined £400 after plans get a green light
Fines of £400 for fly-tippers will be introduced in Stafford in a move which puts council bosses 'in a position of strength' after plans were given the go ahead.
Officers working for Stafford Borough Council now have the power to issue a £400 fixed-penalty notice as the authority tries to tackle fly-tipping.
There have been more than 1,700 reports of fly-tipping in the borough since 2012 however less than 10 per cent of those have lead to prosecutions.
At a cabinet meeting last week, bosses approved proposals that will allow the fines to be issued with no discount for early payment.
Councillor Francis Finlay, who is a member of the cabinet, said: "This is Stafford Borough Council following up on a national scheme to bring down fly-tipping.
"Authorities are being given more power to hurt offenders by giving out big, on the spot fines.
"In Stafford, like anywhere else, fly-tipping and littering has been a difficult thing to tackle in recent years and this puts us a position of strength where we can issue large fines which will hit offenders straight away and also act as a deterrent.
"At the same time, it doesn't stop us from prosecuting people.
"That is obviously a longer process but it does often result in a larger fine."
There have been 1,728 reports of fly tipping made to the council since 2012. T
his has led to 784 investigations being launched, with the cost of clean-ups, court costs and investigation costs coming to £99,804.
Over this time, 41 people have been charged and fined, while and 13 people have been prosecuted.
The Fixed Penalty is served as a criminal penalty in- lieu of prosecution for a criminal offence.
It is not a civil penalty as is the case with some other waste - related issues, which have recently been decriminalised.
Where the Fixed Penalty is paid within 14 days of its issue, the offender’s liability to prosecution is discharged and no further legal action is taken against them.
Stafford Borough Council officer Julie Wallace said: "Nationally statistics indicate that fly tipping is on the increase.
"The estimated cost of clearing fly-tipped rubbish to local authorities in England in 2014/15 was nearly £50 million, an 11 per cent increase on 2013/14.
"The reasons being that it provides the perpetrator with a financial gain/saving, there is a lack of disposal facilities, laziness and the attitude that someone else will clear up the mess.
"The situation in the borough reflects the national picture."
