The leader of South Holland District Council has called for bigger fines for fly-tippers as it was revealed cameras purchased by the authority to catch offenders had been used for the first time.
Coun Gary Porter made the call as the council’s Cabinet looked at a new Environmental Crime policy its taking on.
“We need stronger regulation at a national level to deal with this stuff,” he said. “The fines are far too weak.
“The incidences of having cars and vans confiscated are too few.
“The government really need to be instructing the judiciary to make sure every single fine for commercial fly-tipping, which is what most offends me, is the maximum possible.
“We need to take as much money out of their accounts as we possibly can get and I’d like to see us crush their motors so they can’t do it again, rather than keep pussy footing around.
“They need to pay the cost to the general tax payer for clearing up.”
He also went on to defend the giving out of fixed penalty notices for littering.
“There’s people been arguing the case that one or two individuals are being unduly penalised for it.
“If you drop your cigarette butts on purpose in our streets you should get a fine.
“You’re poisoning our town.
“If you throw a beer can in the street you should get fined as you’re making general citizens pay for other people to go round and clear it up.
“If you throw things out of a car you should look at community service as well as a fine because we have to send people to risk their lives on the road to clear it up.
“It’s ridiculous and it doesn’t take much for people to be more considerate of those around them.”
Meanwhile cameras purchased by SHDC in 2021 have now been used after delays.
Up until September they hadn’t been used by the authority.
Their usage was brought up again by Coun Rob Gibson at last week’s meeting.
SHDC’s head of public protection Donna Hall answered that they had been used.
Councillors also heard that following the recent appointment, Kingdom – an enviro-crime team which has previously been successful for Boston Borough Council – would look to take up usage of the cameras and its own equipment.
A spokesman for SHDC said: “A camera has been used at a fly-tipping hot-spot in the district in an overt capacity.
“Any outcomes including prosecutions or Fixed Penalty Notices would be published at an appropriate time.
“We are also now working with Kingdom to look at other camera and CCTV equipment that will be suitable for deployment in the district.”
