Salisbury residents caught fly-tipping and fined

Wiltshire Council is reinforcing its commitment to tackling environmental crime in the county, with two recent incidents of fly-tipping and littering resulting in fixed penalty notices.

In October, a Salisbury resident was filmed on CCTV in Drove Lane, Coombe Bissett, appearing to go to the toilet behind his vehicle. After the footage showed the individual discarding a soiled tissue, the council’s Environmental Enforcement Team identified the vehicle involved, leading to a littering investigation.

The person responsible was issued a £500 fixed penalty notice for their actions.

In November, the team received a report of fly-tipped waste left near a commercial waste skip in Salisbury. The waste, which consisted of garden refuse and household items, had been dumped directly under a CCTV-in-operation sign.

Once the CCTV footage was obtained, the team were able to trace the person responsible. The offender was interviewed under caution and admitted to the offence, offering no excuses other than the fact that the household recycling centre (HRC) was busy. As a result, the individual was issued a £1,000 fixed penalty notice.

As part of the council’s We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, which offers a reward to people who give the council information that leads to an environmental crime FPN or prosecution, two local residents that assisted in the investigation were rewarded with vouchers.

Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Scene, said: “We have made commitment in our business plan to tackle environmental crime such as fly-tipping and littering in Wiltshire, and our zero-tolerance enforcement approach is going to continue into 2025.

“These fines send a clear message that if you damage our environment in this way, we will hold you accountable. In both of these cases, the people were careless and thoughtless, choosing to damage our natural environment rather than dealing with their waste responsibly. We then have to allocate resources to clean up the litter, which is money that could be spent on other council services instead.

“Equally, we want to reward those who help us with our campaign and encourage people to continue to report any incidents they witness, so we can continue to take action and keep Wiltshire beautiful for everyone."

As FPNs are not a conviction in court, the residents involved cannot be named.

To report fly-tipping or littering, people should visit: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts