Warning as new cameras installed around Bristol to catch fly-tipping criminals

Councillors have issued a warning as new cameras are being installed around Bristol to catch criminals fly-tipping waste. The cameras are set up in known hotspots, and some are mobile and will be relocated as new hotspots are reported to Bristol City Council.

A “squeeze on residents’ finances seems to be still impacting behaviour” according to council documents. An update about fly-tipping was given to councillors on the environment policy committee on Thursday, November 7.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim Kent said: “There’s a problem with fly-tipping not being removed in certain parts of the council’s land, particularly housing land. Some parts of our ward [Hengrove and Whitchurch Park] are fly-tipped every day. There’s one area where I can guarantee you that every 48 hours someone fly-tips.

“Parks were finding fly-tipping in the bins, which is perverse. I’ve spotted it myself, people going up to park bins and putting building waste in it. It’s a blight on all of our communities. There are commercial fly-tippers out there who are making big money.”

Last year, 8,556 incidents of fly-tipping were reported and removed. Between April and June this year, 2,351 incidents were reported and removed, 291 more than the same period last year. Each incident costs the taxpayer around £150 to remove.

Green Cllr Martin Fodor, chair of the environment committee, said: “There are more cameras out now. Vehicles have been seized. Places like the Old City and Gloucester Road are being made easier to keep clear, by removing big overflowing trade bins next to which people fly-tip.

“People think ‘there’s a big bin, I’ll just leave it next to it’. Now we’ve removed quite a lot of those trade bins, the streets are tidier. Some of the [new cameras] are mobile so hotspots can be a location for one of the cameras. They’re being used already.”

The cameras came after the council secured a grant of £30,000 from the government last year. Local enforcement officers regularly scan and review the footage, and anybody caught fly-tipping can face prosecution and a fine of up to £50,000.

Over two thirds of people who responded to the council’s annual quality of life survey last year said they think fly-tipping is a problem locally. The problem affects poorer wards much more, with Easton the worst affected. Over nine in ten people there said fly-tipping is a problem there, followed by 88 per cent in Hartcliffe and Withywood and 86 per cent in Eastville.