£400 fines if houeseholders turn blind eye to fly tipping

Residents who use a ‘man in a van’ service to dispose of unwanted household items without making sure it will not be fly-tipped could come under fire if they turn a blind eye to what happens to their rubbish once it’s handed over.

Current law states householders commit a criminal offence if their rubbish is fly tipped.

But this is now set to change.As a result, new proposals mean councils could be given power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to househoulders who are unable to show that they took reasonable steps to ensure their rubbish was handled by a licenced waste operative.

The Government’s plans are out to public consultation until 26 March