West Lothian Council is to buy surveillance cameras to catch fly-tippers as it steps up its war on dumping which costs almost a £1m a year.
Councillors on the East Livingston and East Calder Local Area Committee heard that the mobile cameras will be used on known hotspots around the county and the aim is trap number plates.
The move comes as the rate for fly-tipping in East Livingston and East Calder again outstripped all other wards-costing the council £8,500 between July and September.
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If council staff can identify number plates on vehicles used for fly-tipping they may be able to catch the culprits.
David Lees from NETs Land and Countryside told the committee: “Hopefully when we have the cameras in service we’ll be able to capture registration numbers and track the drivers through the DVLA."
It can’t come quick enough for the councillors representing East Livingston and East Calder. One of the largest wards by area, it is also still one of the most rural and traditionally sees much more fly-tipping than other parts of the county.
According to the latest reports that trend continued, as committee chair, Councillor Danny Logue noted.
Fly-tipping figures for the last quarter showed 118 reports and a total costs of £8,506 to clear up. The number of reports represents almost a quarter of the total reports county wide for the period from July to September.
The 118 reports was a significant drop from the 144 for the same period last year for the ward. And, across the county the numbers of reports have fallen on last year on the back of council campaigns.
Last month, in a report to the council’s Environment PDSP Countryside Manager Andy Johnston said: “Reducing and preventing fly tipping in West Lothian is an ongoing and continually developing task. The use of mobile CCTV cameras to deter and identify fly tippers is currently being piloted by the enforcement team and it is hoped that these will reduce incidents of fly tipping as well as providing robust evidence to help prosecute those caught on camera.
“A forthcoming fly tipping awareness campaign will launch later this year. This wide reaching campaign will highlight the consequences of fly tipping and the correct ways of dealing with waste, encouraging the public to report incidences of fly tipping to the council.
“NETs, Land and Countryside Service continues to look for new and innovative ways to educate an engage the public. It is hoped that a revised national Litter and Fly Tipping Strategy will reinforce our efforts at a national level and provide further guidance on prevention and legislative powers for enforcement.”
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