'Enough is enough': Council to seek prison sentences for Wolverhampton fly-tippers
Bosses at Wolverhampton Council have issued a stern warning to fly-tippers in the city, saying: ‘enough is enough – we’re coming to get you’.
Environmental chiefs at the council this week promised to seek prison sentences for regular fly-tippers, and blamed the majority of the problems on the same few offenders.
The council is already regarded as a high-performing authority when it comes to dealing with fly-tipping.
It currently stands above both Sandwell and Walsall for tackling the issue, and now feels confident of bettering neighbouring Dudley for results.
Councillor Steve Evans, the council’s cabinet member for city environment, told this week’s Performance Management Panel: “This is not just an issue in Wolverhampton. It’s happening everywhere.
"However, we are on top of it considerably better than a lot of other local authorities are.
“We got rubbished in the press about not tackling fly-tipping, but mark my words – come January people will notice a major improvement in things.
“Enough is enough and the few rogue fly-tippers out there need to realise – we’re coming for you. We mean business.
“The vast majority of cases are down to half-a-dozen offenders who will go out there and do house clearances to make money, fully intending to just throw the stuff on the nearest piece of public land.
“This is not down to our residents – this is a small minority of people, the transient population.
“We have evidence of who the bigger fly-tipping culprits are and I want them to know – we are not going to take it. We mean business.
"Never mind the risk of a fine, we are actively pursuing custodial sentences here, and there is no escape.”
Councillor Evans said the city had a number of regular problem blackspots and highlighted Leicester Street in Whitmore Reans as being particularly badly targeted over a long period of time.
He said: “In the New Year, one of the many benefits in bringing this particular service back in-house, will mean we can keep a tighter rein on things and people won’t be able to escape.
“As a council we are currently developing new enforcement methods to tackle fly-tipping in a more holistic way.
“But I will say to the small numbers of rogue fly-tipping offenders out there – we know who you are and we’re coming for you. We mean business now and there’s no escape for you.”
By Joe Sweeney, Local Democracy Reporter
