Residents in Sandwell face £400 fine for fly-tipping during coronavirus pandemic
Residents in Sandwell who dump their rubbish during the coroanavirus pandemic are being warned they will be fined £400.
Sandwell Council has received several incidents of fly-tipping reports over the borough in the last week.
Councillor Yvonne Davies, Sandwell Council leader, pleaded with people not to fly-tip when the authority is working hard to provide services during this period.
She said: "I am directly appealing to everyone in Sandwell to please help us to stop this.
“Fly-tipping is totally unacceptable – it is 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.”
Councillor Davies 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 re-open 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.”
Sandwell Council has been issuing £400 fines for fly-tipping since May 2017. As well as individuals dumping rubbish, people who pay unlicensed waste carriers can also be fined.
Reputable licensed waste carriers provide customers with receipts and other relevant paperwork for their services, giving them proof they have used an authorised company.
Residents are also urged not to use door-to-door callers to dispose of their waste.
To report fly-tipping, visit www.sandwell.gov.uk/flytipping.
