Countryside Alliance condemn rise in fly-tipping incidents

The Countryside Alliance has featured in a number of newspapers, following reports of increased levels of fly-tipping in recent weeks.

It has been reported that households are using the coronavirus lockdown as an excuse to have a clear-out, which has sadly led to rubbish being dumped on an 'industrial scale'.

'Even this lockdown offers no excuse for fly-tipping': Mo Metcalf-Fisher has written for the Yorkshire Post about the scale of the challenge for rural communities. Please click here to read it.

Shocking photos taken in Burnley, Lancashire, show household items, furniture and hundreds of rubbish bags piled up over the edge of a lay-by close to a beauty spot.

The closure of most tips and recycling centres has resulted in a spate of fly-tipping incidents in recent weeks. Warnings of a 'wave of waste' during the crisis sparked calls for the government to designate recycling centre staff as key workers to prevent the problem and stop people risking further spread of the virus by taking non-essential trips to dispose of their rubbish.

In a statement, Sarah Lee of the Countryside Alliance said: "The images of fly-tipping, though horrendous, are an all too familiar sight. To make serious headway, we need to understand the business of illegal waste disposal and the culture that abets it. Fly-tipping, as most know it, has developed over the years. It represents much more than just lobbing an unwanted Christmas tree, or a bag of rubbish out of a moving car at the dead of night. It has become a business and people up and down the country, either knowingly or out of confusion, are aiding it. If you're paying under £140 for someone to dispose of your waste then it's more than likely going to end up strewn all over the countryside. We have struggled to find fully licensed waste disposal operations for under £150 and herein lies the problem."

She added: "It's unclear how many people realise that in order to legally hire a disposal service, it falls on you to establish whether the operator has the correct license. That means that when an attractive deal on gumtree or social media pops up, you are required to ask for proof of the licence, rather than just taking the ad as verbatim. You can even search a company name on the Environment Agency website to ensure it has the correct license. By failing to carry out these basic checks, you risk fuelling criminality and blighting our picturesque landscapes."

"It shouldn't need saying that driving to dump rubbish in the countryside is not essential travel. Not only are you committing an offence by littering, but you are also ignoring guidance that has been introduced to stop the spread of this dangerous virus." "During these uncertain times, keeping up to date with the latest guidance from your local council in relation to refuse collection is very important."

Coverage of our statement was picked up by the Metro, Mail Online and Mirror.

Remember, you can report incidents of fly-tipping here.