Reading Borough Council has reinforced its commitment to ensuring the streets of Reading are kept clean for residents with a series of prosecutions against those who cause littering and fly tipping.
A proactive approach has seen CCTV cameras installed in areas where fly tipping has been an issue around Reading, in a targeted approach to environmental enforcement. The Council’s Recycling & Enforcement team have been working hard to clamp down on incidences of fly tipping through investigating the waste, gathering evidence and taking witness statements, with footage from the new cameras helping lead to a number of fixed penalty notices being issued. Instances of dumped waste in Kensington Road alone have seen 57 fixed penalty notices issued, 27 of them generated by footage from CCTV camera evidence. The fixed penalties that officers issue are a mixture of fly tipping and littering notices, as the Council can use littering legislation to cover small scale fly tips.
In littering cases heard at Reading Magistrates Court in October, which the Council have actioned to cover small scale fly tipping incidences, six successful prosecutions resulted in fines of up to £220 each plus costs. Further cases are due in court in the coming months.
Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said: “The majority of Reading’s residents value having a clean and tidy town and dispose of their waste responsibly. They should not have to put up with littering and flytipping perpetrated by a selfish and irresponsible minority. We will not tolerate environmental crime and are working hard to identify and prosecute those who commit it. These successful prosecutions send out a very important message that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the area we live in can be enjoyed by all in a clean, litter-free environment”.
“Our range of waste services includes the re3 recycling centre where slots can be booked online, and a bulky waste collection service. With these supported by garden waste, general waste and recycling collections and the imminent introduction of food waste collections, plus around 800 on-street litter bins around the borough, there is no excuse for fly tipping and littering.”
The Council is urging the public to be vigilant to help combat littering and fly tipping, and residents can report fly tipping issues to the Council. These are then actively investigated. Residents can also download the re3cyclopedia app for free, which has a waste search facility allowing users to enter an item and find out how best to recycle it or dispose of it safely and legally.
A bulky waste collection service is also available from Reading Borough Council where items such as sofas, mattresses and cookers can be collected for a small charge.