Council takes action against environmental crime

Published Monday 12 October 2015 at 15:44

Six successful prosecutions have continued Blackburn with Darwen Council’s drive to tackle rubbish dumping and fly-tipping in the borough.

The prosecutions, for waste in back yards and rubbish in back streets, resulted in penalties totalling £2,399, and criminal convictions for all the offenders.

The illegal dumping took place in Fishmoor Drive, Shakeshaft Street, Rockville Street, Vale Street and Sandringham Street.

This is part of a continued push to clean up the streets and tackle nuisance neighbours that includes:

  • Fixed penalties of £300 for businesses who don’t have trade waste contracts in place (every business has to be able to demonstrate they have disposed of their waste legally)
  • More legal action against residents who are caught disposing of waste illegally
  • Holding landlords to account if they don’t do enough to ensure that their tenants behave acceptably
  • Encouraging residents to get more involved in keeping their neighbourhoods clean.

Cllr Jim Smith, Executive Member for Environment, said:

While my officers can’t be everywhere, they could be anywhere, and won’t pull their punches when it comes to prosecution. The vast majority of law abiding residents and businesses have had enough, and we’re encouraging witnesses to come forward to help us catch offenders.

We’ll be using the existing CCTV network, both static and mobile, whenever we can, as well as community minded residents, who help provide us with information on those they see dumping rubbish, so people who dump rubbish won’t know whether they’ve been seen until they get a knock on the door from an enforcement officer.”

 

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