NEW Year is a time when many people adopt a mantra of
'out with the old, in with the new'... But Wirral residents are
being urged to ensure they don't fall foul of the law when having a clear out of
unwanted items. Wirral Council is taking an even tougher approach to tackling
fly tipping as part of its pledge to maintain an attractive local environment
and this includes a commitment to use new powers to issue:- 'Fixed Penalty
Notices' to residents who are caught dumping small amounts of rubbish in
public areas. Whereas previously the Council would have had to prosecute
people through the Courts for these offences, they can now issue an on the spot
penalty notice of ?200 to ?120 if paid within 10 days; for lower level fly
tipping.
Cllr Bernie Mooney, Wirral Council Cabinet member for Environment, said:-
"Fly tipping and alleyway dumping has a really detrimental impact on
neighbourhoods. The new regulations are aimed at those who deliberately dump
small amounts of waste in the street or in alleyways and will allow officers to
deal with these offences there and then, rather than have to take them through a
lengthy and costly Court process."
The regulations do not focus on more serious levels of dumped waste or fly
tipping; existing legislation covers such activity and can carry more severe
penalties. These will continue to be prosecuted in the usual way. But smaller
amounts of dumped waste will be subject to Fixed Penalty Notices, so residents
are urged to think carefully about how they dispose of these items; it may be
they have to be taken to the tip if they do not fit in one of the household
waste bins. Cllr Mooney added:- "This is not a victimless offence.
People might consider the waste they deposit to be insignificant, but added
together these small items can blight a whole community and I believe the new
regulations will improve our ability to tackle it."
