Wardens clean up when it comes to Amber Valley's enviro-crimes
Fly tipping, dog mess, missed bin collections... they’re all on the nation’s list of neighbourhood gripes. So, what are local councils doing about these issues? We go behind the scenes with Andy, one of Amber Valley Borough Council’s Community Support Wardens to find out.
Andy has been patrolling Amber Valley for over 15 years and his role might be best described as part environmental warrior and part investigator as he is one of a team of uniformed wardens who can be spotted around the area.
Between them they have investigated countless ‘enviro-crimes’ such as fly-tipping, household waste issues, dog fouling, abandoned vehicles and more.
It’s a role that’s varied and rewarding, according to Andy, who says: “Every day is different, and I love that and the methodical nature of the investigations”.
The council gets around 400 fly tips reported to it each year of which many are investigated by the team before they are cleared away. Where evidence can be gathered Andy will refer the case on for legal action to be taken and that can mean serious fines of up to £50,000 or even 12 months in prison.
Andy’s day starts early as he gets his work list from the Town Hall and sets about patrolling, inspecting, and investigating incidents across the district. His typical working day, however, is anything but typical.
Community support wardens tackle various issues that impact residents’ day to day lives. In addition to fly tipping issues, concerned residents alert the council to littering offences, fly posting instances, abandoned vehicles and dog fouling. Whilst investigating these concerns the team will make use of a full range of enforcement options that are available to them.
Written or verbal warnings may be given and in more serious cases, fixed penalty notices are issued, which if not paid will lead to a prosecution being taken to court. To support the enforcement activity community education events, advice, and volunteer clean-ups are run.
Fly tipping is an area in which Andy has the most powers at his disposal. Recalling some of the higher profile cases investigated by the team, the warden says: “A particularly memorable case that ended in a successful prosecution took place in a farmer's field in Pentrich which had been targeted by fly tippers. Picture the scene, it was winter, and the field was thick with mud. The farmer arrived to discover an open gate, tyre tracks and a mountain of rubbish... as well as a stranded flatbed truck. It was easy to see an offence had taken place and with the DVLA’s assistance, the culprit was tracked down”.
Social media came to Andy’s aid in another case when he followed the trail from a Facebook post by a ‘man with a van’, a fly tipper who was taking payment for rubbish removal but then dumping the items illegally. As evidence was collated, details of numerous payments were found along with dozens of ‘collections and disposals’ stretching into other boroughs – a prosecution duly followed.
These cases come with a stark warning as Andy explains that it is not only the fly tipper who can get in trouble but also the householder. “People have a duty of care to ensure their collector has a waste carrier's licence. Without this, the householder would still be legally responsible for the items and could end up with a fine or even prosecution despite employing the waste collector in good faith”.
Amber Valley Borough Council wants people to be aware of their responsibilities and support them to make informed choices when disposing of waste. Prosecutions are only ever taken when it is in the public interest to do so, however, it also warns that big fines can await those issued with fixed penalty notices.
In July 2023, the upper limits for fixed penalty notices increased with the maximum figure for fly-tipping raised from £400 to 1,000. Breaches for the ‘householders duty of care’ increased from £400 to £600, while fines for those who litter or graffiti increased from £150 to £500.
At the time, Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey was quoted as saying: “Everyone loathes litter louts and people who dump rubbish. We are increasing the penalties local councils can apply for this behaviour that spoils our streets and harms nature”.
Andy sums up his role as part-educator, part-investigator. He said: “Amber Valley is made up of four market towns with an array of villages and rural areas in between, so issues for communities are varied. A day in the life of a warden can range from early morning chats with dog walkers, to educating householders about domestic waste. There are often some surprises too. In the depths of one winter, some residents reported missed bin collections, not due to distracted collectors but rather the frozen contents that simply refused to be separated from the bin!”
He concluded: “We’re always striving to do the best for residents and aiming to keep our borough beautiful, but we do need public support. Reporting environmental crimes can be done through the council’s website or phone lines and although it may not be possible to action every case, we will investigate them. Some investigations can be time consuming as we have to follow the due legal process, so if residents don’t see immediate action, perhaps the removal of an abandoned vehicle for example, please rest assured action is being taken”.
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