MP calls for action on fly-tipping

Hemel Hempstead MP, Mike Penning has raised his concern about the level of fly-tipping in the Borough. Last year (2007-08) 1,359 fly-tipping incidents were reported in Dacorum on DEFRA’s Flycapture database and it cost the Borough Council over £102,000 to clear them up. However, according to DEFRA figures not one person was prosecuted.

Mike said:

“I am appalled at the level of fly-tipping locally. We must work to stop the people who perpetrate this and destroy the environment for everyone else. I urge Dacorum to take a firm stance and prosecute as many cases as possible. I was disappointed to learn that not one prosecution for fly-tipping was made last year.”

He added:

“We must get the message across that you cannot just dump rubbish and expect to get away with it. The Council must prosecute when it can and the Courts must ensure that heavy fines are handed out.”

Mike has joined calls for Gordon Brown to scrap his new “bin tax” as it was revealed last week that not one Council has come forward to try the ‘pilot scheme’. The Government had planned to pilot the taxes in five councils before rolling them out across the country.

Mike said:

“No one believes this is going to reduce their council tax. This is another tax on top. It’s no wonder that not one council came forward to volunteer for the pilot scheme.

“I am also concerned that Government plans for a ‘bin tax’ could lead to even higher levels of fly-tipping in the future. It is common sense that if residents have to pay for their waste by weight it will inevitably lead to more fly-tipping. The Government are tackling this problem at the wrong end. More time should be spent encouraging supermarkets, producers and manufacturers to reduce their packaging.

“Whilst I welcome many of the initiatives introduced by supermarkets – such as charging for plastic bags – I can’t help thinking that a lot more could be done.”