FLY tipping cost Wiltshire Council £130,000 in clean-up costs last year and the authority is cracking down on those who dump waste instead of legally disposing of it.
In 2009-10 there were 1,439 fly tipping incidents in the county, costing the authority more than £130,000 in collection and disposal costs.
The council issued 127 statutory notices, carried out documentation checks on 68 businesses, issued 11 formal cautions and undertook two successful prosecutions.
Cabinet member for highways and transport Dick Tonge said: “We don’t want to spend our time prosecuting people who fly tip or don’t dispose of their waste properly, but we can’t allow the irresponsible few to get away with it.
“We are going to crack down on this. Almost everybody complains bitterly about the few who fly tip and litter our roads and countryside. The financial penalties for ignoring the law are severe.”
Fly tipping is a criminal offence, which leaves the offender liable to a maximum fine of £50,000 and up to six months imprisonment.
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