FINAL SAY Fen Tiger


What a load of rubbish I


Fly-tipping is a scourge on the countryside – and action needs to be taken, says Fen Tiger


t is upsetting and saddening to think that some members of the public seem to think it is ac- ceptable to dump their waste on


farmland.


It is also an all too common sight. On my regular weekend stroll, I come across a familiar story at a quiet out of the way place in the corner of the farm. It is an access road to a water compa- ny’s pumping station. Yet all is not as it should be. With an attractive fi shing lake next to the road, I fi nd the great crest- ed grebe is not the only one having to navigate its way around the many bushes that stick out from the bank. There are also three washing machines and four 220 litre drums wedged in the overhang. I carry on walking for another few yards and fi nd the fi eld entrance blocked by a broken bathroom sink, numerous pieces of plaster board and various empty plastic containers. This is fl y tipping at its worst – and oth- er farmers have their tales to tell too. Fly-tipping is a criminal offence


which should lead to prosecution, a prison sentence or fi nes up to £50,000. Yet it seldom does. Of almost 1m fl y-tip- ping cases in England last year, just over 2,000 were brought to court with an average fi ne of £370.


Little wonder that the situation is


getting worse. Meanwhile, law biding farmers pay


to dispose of their own waste – and oth- er people’s. If anybody removes waste from your farm they must have a cer- tifi cate. In the past, I have paid sever- al hundred pounds a year to dispose of my chemical cans and fertiliser bags properly.


Most farmers understand that part of the problem is a change in re- cycling rules.


Commercial waste


Councils are partly to blame. They don’t always make things easy to dis-


“Delivering someone’s rubbish back to them is not to be advised – but it was very satisfying.”


74 ANGLIA FARMER • JUNE 2017


be happy to pay to dispose of their un- wanted items?


Problem starts if you are a private landowner and a victim of fl y tipping. It then becomes your responsibility to safely dispose of that dumped waste. But why should farmers pay? It is un- likely that fl y tippers will be caught but two situations remind me how sil- ly the system is.


Nasty neighbour The fi rst incident involved a nasty neighbour. This person had his coni- fer hedge trimmed for a no-doubt cheap rate by a white van man. The cuttings were then taken to the nearest fi eld gateway and dumped. I saw the van, reported the num- ber plate and informed my neigh- bour it was his responsibility to clear up the cuttings. The cuttings were not moved, the local council took no action so thanks to my fork lift and trailer the neighbour had his cuttings returned with interest.


Delivering someone’s rubbish back


to them is not to be advised – but it was very satisfying.


The second situation occurred when several tyres were dumped in a fi eld gateway just a short throw from coun- cil owned grass verges. The council re- fused to clear the tyres but as if by magic the tyres found themselves on the grass verge and the local authori- ty then removed them. But why can’t the council clear them


pose of waste legitimately. They limit how much can be off-loaded and ques- tion anyone who turns up at a recy- cling yard with anything which may be commcercial waste. I wanted to get rid of my rather old


and large settee. Unable to transport it, I asked a builder mate to help me using his works van. On arrival we were questioned regarding the source of the item and whether it was part of my business.


A tense conversation followed and a while later we were allowed to leave the settee. But the whole episode was hard work. It is easy to understand why some people take the easy option and the roads that run alongside the tips are littered with sofas. I support the NFU’s call for local authorities to consider whether recy- cling centres could accept small busi- ness waste. Surely if they charged a small fee, most business owners would


anyway? The rest of the time a dis- posal charge is levied by the local tyre company at the landowner’s expense. It is frustrating to deal with the rub- bish and lack of understanding from some local councils. If you report the incident on your land, you are more likely to receive a letter from the coun- cil threatening you with prosecution rather than fi nd the real fl y tippers. The councils will take household


waste. So I do not understand people not going to their local tips. Why can’t they drive those few extra miles? It is obvious to me that people are lazy and care little about their surroundings or the countryside. It is time to clamp down on the fl y tippers and trace back the rubbish to them. If the polluter is made to pay, maybe we have a chance? After all, farmers have enough problems at pres- ent without having to deal with other people’s rubbish.


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