Fly-tipping hotspots in Renfrewshire are being monitored by CCTV and a special environmental task force in a bid to stop illegal dumping at the source.
The bespoke unit is now conducting daily patrols as the local authority strives to tighten its grip on the issue and catch perpetrators in the act.
The group has been operational since the beginning of December, a report said, with surveillance of identified problem areas well underway.
It has handed out nine fixed penalty notices since it formed – while evidence is being gathered for a larger scale investigation.
Cameras will be relocated as and when required as efforts are made to clamp down on the irresponsible behaviour, which has long been a source of frustration for councillors, officers and members of the community.
Councillor James MacLaren, a Conservative representative for Bishopton and Bridge of Weir, sought an update on the use of CCTV and its effectiveness at the recent infrastructure, land and environment policy board.
Chris Dalrymple, the council’s head of facilities and property management, confirmed the cameras are “up and running” as he briefed members on their use in the community.
He said: “Sometimes when people see the cameras – they are overt, they are not covert – they simply stop fly-tipping there, which is one of the reasons for it.
“They are operational and we are looking at the hotspots and moving them around.
“As well as the hotspots being done by CCTV cameras, the environmental task force is checking the hotspot areas on a daily basis, so it’s both manpower as well as CCTV.”
SNP councillor Michelle Campbell, board convener, said: “In terms of fly-tipping, I want to reinforce that it’s unacceptable anti-social behaviour that has a cost to the rest of us and our communities.”
The task force has forged close links with the council’s StreetScene team as it identifies and removes waste in the area.
Terry McTernan, chair of Ferguslie Community Council and project lead at Darkwood Crew, backed the initiative but refused to be complacent about the scourge of illegal dumping.
He told the Paisley Daily Express: “It’s great, but the reality is we’re not seeing it filter its way down to the communities just yet. Fly-tipping has dramatically increased in Ferguslie over recent weeks.
“I appreciate the task force and I’m hoping the situation will eventually turn itself around. Anything that is going to help us improve our local environment has to be welcomed, but we’re seeing a rise in fly-tipping. That’s the reality.
“The vast bulk of fly-tipping instances that happen in Ferguslie Park now are from external contractors. It’s contractual rubbish – old kitchens, toilet pans, things like that. It’s commercial rubbish that’s being dumped in our community.”
He hoped CCTV would deter the culprits over time, but cited an example of the problem simply being moved to another location in the community.
Mr McTernan added: “We’ve got a positive experience of that where we had a really serious fly-tipping hotspot on Ferguslie Park Avenue and, as soon as the camera was put there, the fly-tipping stopped.
“But, sadly, the reality is it has just moved round the corner to Tannahill...it is a very real and live problem.”
If someone is caught fly-tipping they could face a fixed penalty notice of £200 or, if taken to court, a fine of up to £40,000 or even imprisonment.
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