Government

Croydon Council crushes van in fly-tipping warning

A van used to illegally dump waste has been crushed by Croydon Council and displayed across the borough as a ‘warning’ to other potential fly-tippers.

The van was seized and crushed by the council after it was used to dump two tonnes of building waste in Waddon, South London. Two men were seen leaving the scene on foot.

The crushed van is now being displayed at nine locations across Croydon as a ‘warning’ to other potential fly-tippers. The council is highlighting that the unauthorized dumping of waste is an illegal activity, and can lead to prosecution costs and jail time.

Indeed, just a fortnight ago (7 May) Croydon Magistrates’ Court issued a six-month prison sentence and court costs of £7413 to Gladstone Mark Buchanan for fly-tipping and illegally storing 42 tonnes of furniture and building material. The incidents repoertedly occured between October 2011 and January 2012.

Croydon Council crushes van in fly-tipping warning
The van before and after it was crushed

‘Anyone thinking about fly-tipping should think again’

Councillor Stuart Collins, the council cabinet member for Clean and Green Croydon (pictured with the crushed van, above), said: “Fly-tipping blights our borough, and we will track any person or vehicle involved in it.

“Anyone thinking about fly-tipping should think again once they’ve seen how we get rid of vehicles used for this kind of crime.”

Anyone wishing to see the van, will be able to find it at the following locations this week:

  • 20 May - outside Coulsdon Library in Brighton Road;
  • 21 May - South End;
  • 22 May - Lower Addiscombe Road;
  • 23 and 24 May - North End outside Barclays Bank.

‘Don’t mess with Croydon’

This van tour forms part of the council’s ongoing Don’t Mess With Croydon campaign, which aims to crack down on illegal waste activity by combining council enforcement action with the help of volunteers.

According to the council, the campaign, which was launched June 2014, has so far: seen six fly-tippers prosecuted in one day; helped clear 88 per cent of reported fly-tipped waste within 48 hours; and seen more than 200 local volunteers recruited to lead community clear-ups.

Fly-tipping on the rise

Local authorities are increasingly highlighting the costly problem of fly-tipping, as incidents are increasing. According to figures released in October 2014, during the year 2013/14, local authorities in England spent £45.2 million tackling 852,000 incidents of fly-tipping, marking a 20 per cent increase in incidents in one year.

The figures, released by the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), show that the amount of reported cases of illegal waste dumping rose from 711,000 to 852,000 between the years 2012/13 and 2013/14, despite previous years showing year-on-year declines in fly-tipping. It is thought that is due, in part, to the rising costs of Landfill Tax.

Anyone with information on dumped waste should contact the council’s dedicated fly-tipping hotline on 020 8604 7000 or by emailing [email protected]

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