Report fly-tippers who blight Clydesdale communities

A plea was issued after the cleansing team had to remove a massive pile of rubbish which was dumped at Pembroke, in the Calderwood area of East Kilbride – reported to the council by a concerned resident.

The council’s street cleansing team had to remove and dispose of the “disgraceful” amount of dumped material – at a cost of £906 of tax payer’s money.

While this happened in another part of South Lanarkshire, it is far from an isolated incident. More than 220 instances of fly tipping have had to be removed already in 2023.

There were more than 3000 fly tipping incidents last year, all of which had to be removed at huge expense to the council – resources which could have been better served benefiting local communities.

Councillor Robert Brown, community and enterprise resources committee chairman, said: “It is again very disappointing that we have had to waste so much time and money clearing up rubbish that could and should have been disposed of responsibly.

“Our teams work hard to tackle fly tipping in our communities. The reality is we need everyone to help us by reporting this behaviour, carried out by a minority of people who seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.

“This costs the public services time and money that could be better spent on other things. Neither the council nor local communities are prepared to tolerate this and we aim to stamp it out.”

Fly-tipping isn't just selfish it is also illegal and culprits can face a prison sentence or a fine of up to £40,000. The council is actively investigating last week’s incident in a bid to track down and issue a Fixed Penalty Notice to those responsible.

The amount of dumped material would suggest either a house clearance or multiple deposits from various properties. Anyone with information should visit www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200193/pollution/344/fly-tipping or call 0303 123 1020.

The council also has four dedicated mobile CCTV units operated solely for environmental anti-social behaviour such as rubbish and fly tipping. CCTV acts as a deterrent but also captures evidence. A further 10 CCTV units are also placed at anti-social behaviour hot-spots.

Kevin Carr, head of facilities, waste and grounds, said: “Fly-tipping has grown in recent years, causing a negative impact on our health and well-being, the economy and our environment, as well as diverting council resources.

“We are working with our partners to encourage personal responsibility and ultimately change the behaviour of those responsible….but we cannot do this on our own. It is time for everyone to play their part in tackling these issues to make South Lanarkshire a cleaner place to live, work and visit.

“Fixed penalty notices are issued when we identify the person responsible. When they are not paid the offence may be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Those guilty of the offence can be issued with a fixed penalty of £200 or could potentially be sentenced to imprisonment and risk a fine of up to £40,000.