Consultation launched to help protect fly-tipping hotspot

Views are being sought on proposals to clamp down on fly-tipping at a well-known hot spot in South Derbyshire.

An area of land near Staker Lane, Findern has been blighted by illegally dumped household and construction waste in recent years.

Warning signs have been used to try to discourage offences and surveillance cameras set up to catch the culprits.

South Derbyshire District Council has also issued four £400 fixed penalty notices, seized one man’s vehicle and successfully prosecuted two people.   

Now the authority is proposing to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to prevent vehicles from gaining access to the land, which would be gated off.

PSPOs were brought in under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and specify an area where activities are taking place that are, or are likely to be, detrimental to the local community’s quality of life.

Breaching a PSPO can lead to the issuing of a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.

Cllr Peter Watson, Chairman of the Environmental and Development Services Committee at the District Council, said:

“We have got a wonderful rural landscape in South Derbyshire and we are determined not to let the selfish actions of fly-tippers spoil it.

“Combating fly-tipping is a priority for us and offences at this site contribute to two per cent of all incidents in the District. This creates a cost for farmers and landowners to clean up.

“By working with Highways England, Derbyshire County Council and landowners, we hope to find a long term solution.

“All interested parties are invited to have their say as part of this consultation.”  

Full details of the PSPO consultation, open until April 30, 2018, can be found here.

15 March 2018