Rats, tyres and black bags - call to tackle fly-tipping problem in Hartepool
Councillors raised concerns of seeing dozens of tyres dumped, along with potential rat problems due to ‘at least 80 black bags’ being left in a backyard in the town.
Calls were also made at the full meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council for stronger action, including more fines and prosecutions to clamp down on the issue.
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Hide AdIt came after Cllr Cameron Stokell submitted a question asking what can be done in hot spots area by way of covert CCTV or other methods to reduce the issue.
He noted it came after public frustration at the amount of fly-tipping and the costs for the council to remove it.
Cllr John Tennant, chair of the neighbourhood services committee, initially answered the question, noting a lot is being done by the council to tackle the issue.
He said this includes cameras, the formation of a working group, using intelligence to target hot spots, while a campaign is also planned to help address the issue.
He said: “In order to tackle the issue of fly-tipping in the area the authority uses various methods which can include both overt and covert surveillance.
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Hide Ad“Cameras are currently being deployed to gather evidence in relation to fly-tipping which is used to take enforcement action.
“We do however have a limited number of cameras which are resource intensive as they need to be checked every couple of days.
“A working group has been established to develop an immediate and longer term approach to fly-tipping and part of this will include a promotional campaign to highlight the problems associated with fly-tipping.”
Concerns were also raised about the ‘significant amount’ of fly-tipping dumped in back streets across the town.
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Hide AdCllr Brenda Loynes noted over recent weeks she received numerous calls of fly-tipping in the Rural West ward, including for ‘three or four dozen tyres’ being dumped in Worset Lane and Dalton Back Lane.
She said: “We really need to get a grip of this because it’s getting worse.”
Cllr Christopher Akers-Belcher noted throughout lockdown fly-tipping was the issue he received the most calls about.
He also noted some councillors used to use ward member budgets to offer a free bulky waste service, and asked officers to cost up having a bulky waste scheme per ward for consideration.
Cllr Lesley Hamilton noted she had been contacted by a resident with photos of ‘at least 80 black bags’ in the backyard of an empty house, who also raised concerns of problems with rats due to fly-tipping.
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Hide AdShe said: “The problem is not just the fly-tipping, it’s obviously the issue with rats as well.
“It’s more than that, we need to also be tackling private landlords who are employing dodgy people to remove furniture from the homes and they are dumping this stuff all over the town.
“These people are trying all different ways to remove rubbish without having to do it legitimately.”
Numerous councillors also raised the need for the council to issue fines and prosecute people for fly-tipping.
Cllr Leisa Smith said: “As a council we do need to be more forward in giving fines out to the fly-tippers and actually investigating the people who are doing this.”
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Hide AdA reminder was also issued the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Burn Road is closed Monday and Tuesday but open the rest of the week via appointment, which has been working well according to officers.
Councillors moved the issue would be referred back to the neighbourhood services committee for more talks and action on the issue.