Forum Topic

fly-tipping reporting

Just a note to say something positive about the speed of the Council's Hounslow Highways website link to report fly-tipping.  I completed their online report form at 1554 on Tuesday afternoon.  By 0825 on Wednesday, I'd had two emails from them, one confirming receipt of my report and then another confirming the item had been removed (which it had been). I was impressed.  Well done the Operations Team!

Catherine Jones ● 2712d24 Comments

"Try an FOI enquiry Steve"I will, Vanessa. Just thought I'd first give the Hounslow Cllrs an opportunity to come clean on open forum instead of continually bleating on about all the £400 fines allegedly being issued.

Steve Taylor ● 2650d

Try an FOI enquiry Steve - easy to do............

Vanessa Smith ● 2650d

And the Councillor still refuses to tell us how many fines of £400 have been issued since January and in what areas within the Borough. My wild guess is NONE!!! All decent citizens report fly-tipping which is great but it's pointless wasting our money just cleaning up after the criminals instead of tackling the crime. Hounslow is currently an open invitation to all fly-tippers who can be confident they won't be prosecuted. 

Steve Taylor ● 2650d

All the threats and plans in the world will come to nothing unless there are robust measures to get these anti-social scumbags in the act, and the really go for them through the legal machinery. Unfortunately this requires feet on the street which is where it all falls down. Similarly with crime - the government can say what it likes - but having more police on the streets does have a preventative effect.

Vanessa Smith ● 2650d

Quite obviously Hounslow is the the worst Council in W.london to deal with fly-tipping because it has the worst fly tipping problem in W.london. It's not just about bin capacity or trying to teach morons to economise on space, it's about catching the serial fly tippers who continuously dump builders rubble and commercial waste all over the place. With regards to household waste it should be easy enough to identify the households dumping bags of rubbish illegally. As long as this Council continues to be so proud of itself for clearing up the fly tipping instead of dealing with the environmental criminals, you will never reduce the problem. It is just getting worse month by month because there is no plan to address the real problem.

Steve Taylor ● 2650d

Thanks for the kind words, Joe. We do our best.Hounslow is not 'the worst council to deal with flytipping' but it does apparently have the worst flytipping problem in W London.I personally report flytipping all the time and H Highways are really excellent in providing a service when it's reported. But too much flytipping is happening in the first place and there is no excuse, despite some people trying to blame the council's refuse service for it. Anyone who thinks they have insufficient bin capacity can contact me and I'll help them either economise on space or get a bigger bin.

Guy Lambert ● 2650d

Since I mentioned that Hounslow's own contractors dumped some stuff leftover from a job in our rear access road - there have been e-mails whizzing back and forth, first to customer services, who passed the buck to housing - who in turn passed the buck to the contractor. This has been going on now for over two months - still the rubbish languishes where it was left. I think practice what you preach might be appropriate?

Vanessa Smith ● 2651d

Guy,as you are no doubt aware flytipping is a perennial complaint that infuriates a lot of people. It is a diificult one to prevent happening without having security gates blocking access to sites.It was not, however, raised at the recent BMRA meeting as much of the focus was on the J2 festival and the Boston Manor bike path.The actions of the Brentford councillors with respect to the J2 license were commended as was your own speed of reaction to a residents inquiry concerning linemarkings in parking bays alongside the bike path.People do understand the difficulties involved and the honest endeavours of local councillors in attempting to address these issues does not go unnoticed by residents.

Joseph Gerald Bourke ● 2651d

So from local press reports last week, Hounslow is the worst Council in west London to deal with fly-tipping as the situation gets worse every week.  Hounslow Council spokesperson still bleats on about fines of £400 being issued but no Councillor seems willing to come clean on exactly how many fines of £400 have been issued per month since January and where these fines have been issued.Are cameras being installed  at the 'hotspots' ?It is quite obvious that there are serial fly-tippers who simply have a weekly dumping routine and have no intention of stopping for as long as this Council sits back and does nothing about the problem.  Come on Councillors - lets have some facts please.

Steve Taylor ● 2651d

There is an enforcement team within LBH and they work hand-in-glove with H Highways.There are some changes going on at present but I'll enquire

Guy Lambert ● 2699d

Guy,Presumably the council has an operational plan covering this (e.g. number of staff deployed, methods of operation, costs etc). Is this publicly available? If so where is it?  If not, why?(I'm not asking for the detail that gives "Team A at Bloggs street next Tuesday" obviously that would be a giveaway for professional flytippers - it's the next level up  - the operational methods.)This would enable citizens to critique and maybe suggest improvements.

Andy Herrick ● 2699d

You're quite right.

Philippa Bond ● 2700d

" it's often impossible to identify perpetrators."and its often very possible but it takes the will. All too often you see fly-tipped articles with address labels etc. All too often you report fly-tipping and you are aware which house nearby is being refurbished. Not rocket science - but the general feeling of these serial fly-tippers is that  the Council will simply clean up after them.

Steve Taylor ● 2700d

No, really just making the point that wheelie bins are not the magic solution to all ills either.  Too many carrier bags and black sacks in the blue bins.LBE are now looking to change their arrangements.

Philippa Bond ● 2700d

I hope it's not me who you think is playing politics with this!Fly tipping is a scourge and it infuriates me. I probably report at least 5 instances per week but I don't think I should have to - I think H Highways should be finding them via their own inspections. They say they do, but they need to do better IMO.Attempts are made to find culprits through HH and through the LBH enforcement team and the fact that there are several hundred fines each month (though that includes general littering as well as fly tipping) says this is a serious undertaking. As David Squire says on another thread, it's often impossible to identify perpetrators.

Guy Lambert ● 2700d

and that minority of anti-social people are still there when wheelie bins are used for recycling...  they are just less obvious and will contaminate the rest of the collection.BTW the greatest amount of contamination in the recycling comes from food.Please use your food waste bin.  It's easier to get the hang of it when the weather is cool.  Your food waste will go to make fertiliser, bio-gas and electricity and you will be able to see clearly what food waste exactly you are making enabling you to make a few tweaks in your buying, eating and storing habits - and save money.https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-knowledge/food-recycling/top-tips

Philippa Bond ● 2700d

We need an equal amount of enthusiasm from Hounslow Highways in following up and fining/prosecuting offenders.Hounslow Highways' contract is not just to "magick" away what lazy residents and "visitors" can't be bothered to deal with themselves legally - there are already established ways to deal with waste properly.  Most people can do it and do do it - there is just a small minority of anti-social people who seem to think that the arrangements in place don't apply to them.It doesn't help either that there are some who are more interested in playing politics than the interests of residents. That minority of anti-social people will still be there to be challenged.

Philippa Bond ● 2710d

I guess we should report when we get those notices stuck under our windscreen wipers or through the door.

Philippa Bond ● 2711d

I wonder how man travellers will get fined? None!!

David Squire ● 2711d

The Council boasts of 800 fines of 'up to' £400 being issued.  Can a Councillor tell us where these fines have been issued (which specific areas) and what the sliding scale of fines equates to in real terms. What is the max, what is the min and how many of each category?The Law also allows for imprisonment of fly-tippers. Can a Councillor provide details imprisonments of these criminals over the last year?

Steve Taylor ● 2711d

I reported a contractor who filled a 660L bin with commercial waste. It was still there when the binmen called a week later. I have no idea if the council took action against then. As I had no feed back.

David Squire ● 2711d

I should think a fine inline with the cost of the job would be appropriate in this case, along with the cost of removal, if the contractor doesn’t respond within a short time.

Robin Dickers ● 2711d

Will the Council be taking action against your contractors who fly tipped in Isleworth Cllr Lambert?

Paul Fisher ● 2712d

That part of H Highways' service is consistently excellent. Their graffiti removal is very good too.

Guy Lambert ● 2712d