An Amesbury resident has been issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice (FPN) and had their vehicle seized, within just 11 days of being caught fly-tipping waste on CCTV.
Wiltshire Council Environmental Enforcement officers began their investigation after the waste was discovered during a routine inspection on 7 May in the Stonehenge area – an area covered by the council’s CCTV cameras. The waste, which had been dumped on the public highway, consisted of around eight builders’ buckets of soil and assorted garden waste.
When officers reviewed the CCTV footage, they confirmed the fly-tipping incident had been captured on 3 May. The footage clearly showed a man emptying multiple buckets of waste from the back of a van.
Acting swiftly, officers requested Wiltshire Police to seize the vehicle linked to the offence. The van was seized on 9 May by the Rural Crime Team and Amesbury Neighbourhood Police Team.
Under legislation governing seized property, local authorities are required to return vehicles once they are no longer needed for investigative or legal purposes. In this case, the vehicle was claimed by the owner, the required documentation was provided, and the council determined it was no longer necessary to retain it. The vehicle was therefore returned.
The man was interviewed under caution a week later, where he admitted the offence, apologised and expressed remorse. Following the interview, the man was issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice, which has been paid in full. He has since returned to the location to clear the waste.
The council has significantly increased its covert and overt CCTV capability across the county to deter, detect and take enforcement action against fly-tipping and other environmental crimes. Due to the sensitive nature of these cameras, their locations are not disclosed.
Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Fly-tipping is completely unacceptable, and this case shows just how quickly we can act when we have strong evidence and effective partnerships in place. From the moment the waste was spotted to the vehicle being seized and a fine issued, the investigation took less than a week.
“There is simply no excuse for dumping waste illegally, particularly when the individual chose to deposit it on a public highway instead of disposing of it properly. It harms our environment, risks public safety and places an unfair burden on local communities.
“We will continue to use our CCTV capability and enforcement powers to identify offenders and take robust action wherever possible.”
For more information on how Wiltshire Council tackles fly-tipping, or to report an incident, visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping
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