Warning over fly-tipper targeting Shirebrook area

Bolsover Council is investigating several fly-tipping incidents in the Shirebrook area involving a red flatbed truck, used by someone who has been collecting scrap and waste in the area and offering to remove it.

An incident was investigated recently where waste was dumped on Wood Lane outside Shirebrook and was linked to this perpetrator.

The waste was traced back to its original owner who has had to pay a £200 fixed penalty notice for failing in their household duty of care to ensure they took reasonable checks that the person they passed the waste to was a licensed waste carrier.

Coun Anne Clarke, council cabinet member for the environment, said: “Our residents are asking this company/individual to remove their waste in good faith expecting it to be disposed of correctly, only to find out they are then faced with a fixed penalty notice.”

The council said, if you want to pay someone to collect and dispose of your waste, then it is your responsibility to check to ensure they are a licensed waste carrier. Residents can check if a collector is licenced using the public register on the Environment Agency website at environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/index

Coun Clarke said: “Always be wary of door-to-door offers to take waste away, or informal quotes on social media. Offers may be genuine, but if an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is. For instance, £50 would not cover the cost of disposing of a large van of waste legally. Always be cautious, as you could be held responsible if your waste is fly tipped.

“Check a waste-carriers licence regardless of how genuine they appear, any person you pay to take away your waste must have a waste carriers’ licence. Ask where they will dispose of your waste, make sure you get a receipt and make a note of the registration number of the vehicle they use.”

The council offers a bulky waste collection, which can be booked on 01246 242424 or at bolsover.gov.uk