DEALING with more than 8,000 incidents of fly-tipping over 2020-21 cost St Helens Council almost £100,000.

The Labour-run authority has confirmed there were 8,286 incidents of fly-tipping at a cost of £99,194 over the year.

'Selfish - and stems from laziness'

Cllr Andy Bowden, the council’s cabinet member for transport and environment, slammed those responsible.

He said fly-tipping is a crime that “stems from laziness” and the “selfish view” that someone else will always clean up your mess.

“It won’t be tolerated in our borough and as it can be costly to clear away – at a time when council budgets are already stretched – our officers work exceptionally hard to combat it,” he added.

“As residents, we also have a responsibility to do our due diligence when arranging disposal of waste.

“By ensuring that we only deal with licensed and trustworthy carriers, we ensure that we’re not contributing to the problem.

“As with many trade services, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, so please do your research and carry out the simple checks, or you might be left with a hefty fine.”

Councillor Jeanie Bell, cabinet member for safer, stronger communities, also shared her views on the issue.

She said: “When it comes to our fly-tipping prosecution work we tirelessly investigate every case and the information that residents can provide is invaluable.

“I’d urge anyone who finds tipped waste or who sees waste being dumped to contact the council as soon as possible, noting key details like vehicle registrations, a description of the tipper and where and when it happened, so that we can hold those responsible to account.”

Fly-tipping is 'inexcusable'

Responding to the annual fly-tipping statistics for England for 2020-21, Cllr David Renard, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association labelled fly-tipping as “inexcusable”.

He said: “It is not only an eyesore for residents, but a serious public health risk, creating pollution and attracting rats and other vermin.

“It also costs local taxpayers at least £50 million a year to clear up.”

If you have you spotted dumped waste or seen someone fly-tipping in St Helens, you can report it to the council online at sthelens.gov.uk/report-a-problem, via the mobile app found by searching ‘St Helens Borough Council’ in your app store, or by calling 01744 676789.

For more information visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/flytipping, or residents can arrange to have their bulky rubbish collected by the council by booking a collection online via sthelens.gov.uk/recycling-rubbish-waste/bulky-waste-collections.