Rotherham facing ‘backlog’ of fly-tipping cases

During a meeting of RMBC’s improving places select commission on February 1, Tom Smith, assistant director of community safety and street scene said there was a ‘significant backlog of case’ waiting to go to court.

Mr Smith told the meeting: “The biggest issue we’ve had over the last couple of years is court time.

“We have a significant backlog of cases waiting to enter that process…that are there, or the paperwork is there, they just haven’t come to conclusion because we haven’t been able to get through the court process, so we expect again to see that improve over the months ahead.”

A report presented to the committee states that the cost of clearing up fly-tipping the borough in 2020/21 is estimated at around £175,000, alongside an additional £67,509 in disposal costs.

Investigating fly tipping accounts for an estimated 14 per cent of the overall Regulation and Enforcement budget which equates to around £115,000 per year.

Councillor Dominic Beck, cabinet member for transport and environment told the meeting: “We can always do better on this.”

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Coun Beck added that the council aims ‘to increase that number of prosecutions that we have – FPNs,formal prosecutions….to try and bring the offenders to buck’.

Councillor Ian Jones, Rotherham Democratic Party for Rotherham West said he was concerned that a ‘decommissioned powerhouse’ in his ward is being vandalised regularly, and has become a ‘hotspot’ for fly tipping.

He added that more CCTV is needed to catch fly tippers, as some witnesses are ‘frightened stiff’ of the perpetrators.

Sam Barstow, head of community safety and regulatory services said further investement is planned for more CCTV, and that the council’s environmental officers are working directly with elected members to solve the issue.

You can report fly tipping in Rotherham at www.rotherham.gov.uk/xfp/form/183