Council takes action against more than 150 fly-tippers in the last year

A borough council in East Lancashire took action against more than 150 people who illegally dumped rubbish in the year up to March.

Pendle Borough Council says of the 156 offenders dealt with between April 2023 and March 2024, 116 were issued fixed penalty notices and 40 were given cautions.

Of the fixed penalty notices, 24 were paid and 77 were passed on to be considered for further action in court.

A total of 29 cases were heard in court and the remaining 48 cases are waiting for hearings.

READ MORE: Burnley councillor's back alley fly-tipping despair

With the remainder of the penalty notices, one became a caution after further information was given, and 14 were cancelled due to the offender being deceased or moving out of the area and becoming untraceable.

Councillor Asjad Mahmood, leader of Pendle Borough Council, said: “We are aware there has been a significant increase in the level of fly-tipping incidents in Pendle over the last few years, and we are actively doing something to deal with the problem.”

David Walker, Pendle Council's assistant director of operational services, added: “We take fly-tipping very seriously and issue fixed penalty notices as a penalty and deterrent.

“If they are not paid, we take those responsible to court.

“There is no excuse for fly-tipping. The council provides regular fortnightly collections, a free bulky waste collection service and there are two recycling centres on our doorstep – one in Burnley and one in Barnoldswick.”

Last year Pendle  Council carried out a targeted approach on fly-tipping in designated areas of Nelson and Colne, where it has the highest number of fly-tips recorded.

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The ‘Bin It – Don’t Dump It’ campaign provided residents with information on how to responsibly dispose of unwanted items, rather than dumping their rubbish on the streets.

Mr Walker continued: “We had a large skip and a refuse collection vehicle in five different locations on five consecutive Saturday mornings during September and October, with staff on hand to help residents dispose of their unwanted items and answer any questions they had about the services the Council delivers.

“The campaign was very successful and gave a clear message that we are doing our best to help alleviate the fly-tipping problems we have in Pendle.”