Cameras are being installed around Bristol to catch criminals fly-tipping waste. The cameras are set up in known hotspots; some are mobile and will be relocated as new hotspots are reported.
An update about fly-tipping was given to the environment policy committee on November 7.
Lib Dem Cllr Tim Kent said: “There’s a problem with fly-tipping not being removed in certain parts of the council’s land, particularly housing land. It’s a blight on our communities. There are commercial fly-tippers out there who are making big money.”
Last year, 8,556 incidents of fly-tipping were reported and removed. Between April and June, 2,351 incidents were reported and removed. Each incident costs the taxpayer around £150 to remove.
Green Cllr Martin Fodor, chair of the environment committee, said: “There are more cameras out now. Vehicles have been seized. Places like the Old City and Gloucester Road are being made easier to keep clear, by removing big overflowing trade bins next to which people fly-tip.
“People think ‘there’s a big bin, I’ll just leave it next to it’. Now we’ve removed quite a lot of those trade bins, the streets are tidier. Some of the new cameras are mobile …They’re being used already.”
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporter