PEOPLE who dump waste illegally face greater penalties if councillors at Wychavon have their way.
A decision to lobby the Government was carried at Wednesday’s full council meeting on July 7 was in response to the increasing issues of fly-tipping and illegal waste sites, that have been concerning residents for some time.
This has become especially significant in the Pershore area where repeated illegal dumps have appeared causing huge issues over the clean-up operation.
Concerns have been mounting, with Wychavon taxpayers left feeling frustrated as they are having to foot the bill.
The council also noted frustration at the overall low fixed penalty notices issued for fly-tipping, with the average court fine being just £539 in 2024/25.
The motion included writing to the Government to request that sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping reflect the true cost of the clear-up and community harm, so that fines move closer to the statutory maximum which is set to go up to £5,000 this summer from a previous level of £1,000.
It will also encourage courts to use the community payback scheme which requires offenders to help put right the damage they have caused including clean-up work or direct payments towards remediation.
Coun Jodi Arnold (Lib Dem, Pershore ward), who proposed the motion, said: “This is one of the biggest issues raised by residents in my ward. With fly-tipping often seen on the side of the road, we need to ensure we have the mobile CCTV cameras available to target hotspots so residents can see we are taking action and improving our environment.”
Coun Emma Sims (Lib Dem, Broadway, Sedgeberrow and Childswickham ward), who seconded the motion, added: “While I am disappointed the council did not want to pursue tackling illegal waste sites at this time, I welcome that we have been able to reach an agreement on applying pressure to the Government to make fly-tipping more of a priority.
“It is not fair that residents are having to foot the bill for others’ poor behaviour – we need to ensure that the fine matches the cost to our residents and our environment.”
Full details of the motion can be found here:
