Police: Islanders’ help needed to catch fly-tippers
IT IS unlikely that fly-tippers will be prosecuted without the help of the public or further surveillance.
A large amount of refuse was left near Fort Le Marchant recently, including a sofa, paddling pool and what appeared to be wooden flooring.
PC Jim Carmassi, who dealt with the report, said it was the first serious offence of fly-tipping they had dealt with this year but, without CCTV or witnesses, it would be difficult to secure a conviction.
‘We had some enquiries from people on Facebook, some names have come out of the back of that, but without witnesses or CCTV it’s a bit of a dead end. We’ve done everything we can.
‘We’re still encouraging people to report it when they see it, people should take down a registration plate if they see anything. It’s all about getting information for suspicion, it is a massive help.
‘I know our Neighbourhood Police Team are fully aware of this incident and are primed ready to deal with further incidents of this nature as we know how unpleasant it is for the public and land owners,’ he said.
Fly-tippers are subject to the Refuse Disposal Ordinance law of 1959, which outlines the perpetrator as: ‘Any person who throws down, knowingly drops or otherwise deposits in, into or from any public place in the open air, and leaves, anything whatsoever in such circumstances as to cause, contribute to, or tend to lead to, the defacement by litter of any place in the open air, unless that depositing and leaving was authorised by law or was done with the consent of the occupier or other person or authority having the control of the place in or into which that thing was deposited.’
‘Typically, if someone is reported for this offence a caution or a fine would be a likely outcome,’ said PC Carmassi.
In 2016, an individual was fined £1,000 after a compliance notice was posted on his land asking for bulk refuse to be removed from his vinery site.
Pictures of the waste at Fort Le Marchant were put on Facebook by the Guernsey Environmental Services group, which works on behalf of the Vale Commons Council in the area, and it had to arrange for the items’ removal.
‘This is the extent of the fly-tipping which appeared at Fort Le Marchant, L’Ancresse over the weekend. We had to climb into the brambles to remove all of the items and they were promptly collected by Chris’s Rubbish Removals. It is disappointing that disposing of this illegal dumping will cost the Vale Commons Council,’ it posted.
