Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon council hits fly-tippers in the pocket
These images show just some of the irresponsible acts of fly-tipping that Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council officers have had to deal with in recent months.
The council is pledging to continue its zero tolerance approach to the problem and to robustly pursue those responsible.
It’s been revealed that over the past six months, fly-tippers in the borough have been ordered to pay thousands of pounds in fines for their actions.
Since the start of April this year, 11 separate Fixed Penalty Notices of £400 fines have been issued to people who dumped rubbish in green areas and public spaces.
These enforcement actions have taken place right across the borough in both urban and rural areas, with five Fixed Penalty Notices issued in Portadown, two in Armagh, two in Lurgan, two in Craigavon and one in Keady.
A spokesperson for the council revealed that in one occasion, a person dumped waste outside a recycling centre in Keady when it was closed and failed to pay the Fixed Penalty Fine. The offender was later taken to court and fined £500 plus costs.
The spokesperson said: “A further five people who failed to respond to notices issued in relation to fly-tipping offences were fined in court with the fines ranging from £150 to £300 plus costs.
"There is no reason why anyone would have to fly-tip waste as the council provides a collection service for bulk waste items such as white goods, furniture etc.
"We would also urge anyone who does not have the appropriate wheeled bins for their waste to contact their landlord where appropriate or contact the Environmental Services Department within council.
"Fly-tipping is damaging to the climate, the environment and local wildlife and our Environmental Health officers are determined to continue our zero tolerance approach, by pursuing all those responsible for fly-tipping and issuing these very significant fines.”
The council is urging members of the public to help in the fight against the scourge of fly-tipping by reporting incidents via the ABC Council App which is available to download on the App store and Google Play store, or by calling the Council’s Environmental Health team directly on 0300 0300 900.