Constables want a hard line on fly-tippers

Vale senior constable Richard Leale and his St Peter Port counterpart Dennis Le Moignan said it was the best option, especially with waste collection changes starting in September.

Two people were taken to court recently after leaving items near the landfill site at Mont Cuet, Vale.

Mr Leale said the constables of the Vale welcomed the stance taken by the court.

‘They are sending out a strong message that the authorities will take action when they are able to identify the perpetrators.

‘It is undoubtedly good news for the taxpayers of Guernsey, who have to bear the burden of cost in clearing up behind people who feel they can dump rubbish wherever they like.’

St Peter Port has its own issues with fly-tipping, including a recent case of cardboard being left outside Vinyl Vaughn’s in Fountain Street.

Mr Le Moignan said he hoped prosecutions would discourage similar incidents. ‘Perhaps the more people we catch, the more people it will deter from doing it.

‘It’s becoming a bad habit, and if you hit people in their pocket, that’s when the public start to take notice.

‘We don’t know if it is builders or individuals doing building work, but we keep finding bags of building rubbish across St Peter Port, just dumped on the main roads.

‘This just isn’t on, people have got to realise that they have to put things in the right place.

‘The point is it is cheaper to dump it legally than it is to do it illegally. Up to £600 are the fines here – and it’s not that expensive to put them in the tip.’

Changes to the way waste is collected are coming into force in September and, starting next year, black bags will cost £2.50 each to dispose of, with all households also having to pay a States standing charge of £85 plus a parish charge.

Mr Leale said the Vale douzaine was concerned fly-tipping could get worse.

‘It is a sad fact, as many of the parish douzaines have pointed out, that with the onset of the new waste strategy, fly-tipping is likely to become more prevalent,’ he said.

But Mr Le Moignan said that under new laws it will make it easier to identify those disposing of black bags unlawfully. ‘At the moment if people put a black bag out at the wrong time, the law is so tight it’s very difficult to prosecute.

‘But under new laws, black bags can be opened up and inspected for information regarding who they may belong to.

‘If someone’s information is in there, they will be prosecuted, whether they say they put it there or not.

‘In terms of fly-tipping it’s difficult. That’s a different matter, addresses aren’t on builders’ rubbish. It seems to just be a bad habit people are adopting, when it isn’t too expensive to dispose of material in the right way.’