A national scheme designed to crack down on fly-tippers could put people at risk, a leading Southend councillor has said.
Ann Holland, executive councillor for the environment, is keen to see Southend kept tidy but is concerned about a new campaign urging people to report anyone they find dumping large items of rubbish to a hotline.
Councils and the Environment Agency will then either try and catch them red-handed or set a trap to get them the next time.
Fly-tip eyesore : Ann Holland discovers another pile of rubbish Picture: TERENCE BUNCH
Mrs Holland said: "It is a good idea in theory but in reality it does depend on who is dumping the rubbish. We do not want repercussions if they are violent or aggressive people."
The campaign, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, is backed by a national poster campaign, which will be seen on buses in Southend, Ipswich, Norwich and Cambridge.
The posters are headed "don't turn a blind eye" and feature a woman peeking through her window as two men dump junk by the roadside.
Mrs Holland, a Tory councillor for Southchurch ward, said: "We are looking at CCTV cameras, which if successful, will not put people at risk."
Nigel Tansley-Thomas, regional director of Keep Britain Tidy, thinks the main reason people fly-tip is because they do not think they will ever get caught.
"But with the public's help, this campaign will make sure they get the message that someone's watching and if they do it, they are sure to suffer the consequences" he said.
Keep Britain Tidy spoke to 159 councils - 85 per cent said they had a major or significant problem - and 390 landowners in the UK to back the campaign.
Country lanes, laybys, back alleys, railway land, outside tips and playgrounds were the most popular dumping sites. Household rubbish, from small bags of trash to large items like cookers, make up the most waste, while more than six per cent is made up of toxic, hazardous or clinical waste.
The tip-off hotline number is 0845 3000 630.
Published Wednesday, April 30, 2003
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