£400 fines warning as council pledges ‘we will track down fly-tippers’
People whose rubbish is fly-tipped during the coronavirus pandemic will face the full force of the law, council bosses have warned.
The warning comes after Sandwell Council followed government advice and closed its Shidas Lane tip in Oldbury for an indefinite period.
Householders have now been told they can be fined up to £400 – even if they pay companies to take away their rubbish.
Sandwell Council leader Yvonne Davies said the council was focused on providing essential services during the coronavirus emergency but that will not stop it tracking down fly-tippers.
She said: “I’m directly appealing to everyone in Sandwell to please help us to stop this.
“Fly-tipping is totally unacceptable – it’s something we don’t need to be dealing with, especially at a time like this when the council is pouring all of its resources into running essential services and supporting the most vulnerable people in society.”
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She added: “Our staff will investigate every single fly-tipping incident reported to us and we will be issuing £400 fines to anyone who is found to be responsible for fly-tipping.
“Anyone with extra rubbish needs to please store it until the restrictions on movement are lifted and our tip can reopen and our bin collections return to normal. Please work with us on this.
“I’m also concerned by the number of people dropping gloves, masks and tissues. Please – don’t drop this rubbish.
“We cannot afford for our streets to become dumping grounds while we are dealing with a crisis.
“Anyone who is caught dumping rubbish will feel the full force of the law.”
The authority has said residents can be fined if they pay unlicensed waste carriers – who advertise on social media or who knock on doors – and their rubbish is then dumped.
