Fly-tipping clampdown sees fines double in Brent

Brent Council's enforcement teams have been bagging rubbish in Wembley

Fly-tipping fines have more than doubled in the north-west London borough of Brent, its council has said.

More than 5,700 enforcement actions have been taken over the past 12 months, up from around 2,700 the year before.

As a result, fines also increased by over £100,000 over the same period as part of its clampdown on illegal waste dumping, the local authority said.

Nationally, fly-tipping on public land rose by 6% last year, with over one million incidents reported in England alone.

As part of its crackdown, Brent council has been holding what it calls Community Skip Days.

They aim to remove barriers by offering "community skips" that visit every ward three times a year.

"We're on par with a neighbouring areas with the cost of a service," said Krupa Sheth, cabinet member for environment and enforcement.

"But the reason why we've got something like our community skip that goes around all across the borough three times here to every single one of our wards is so that our residents can dispose of rubbish for free."

On Saturday, along with the skip placed in Tokyngton ward, Wembley, council enforcement officers also paced the streets looking for evidence of who had dumped piles of rubbish.

This waste was bagged in red sacks and left for 24 hours - meant as a clear signal that the team had been on the scene.

"I just hate it," said resident, and volunteer rubbish picker, Ferenc Furger.

"Because this is where we live, this is where our children [are] growing up and I don't want that. It's just messy."

Wembley resident Ferenc Furger was among volunteers clearing dumped rubbish

Brent, like many boroughs, charges residents to dispose of bulky goods - currently priced at £55 for a collection of up to five items.

Tower Hamlets Council offers two free collections of up to five bulky items per year while in Richmond it is £81 per collection of up to five items.

Councillor Krupa Sheth says bulky item disposal costs in Brent are "on par" with neighbouring areas

Brent has also partnered with Peddle Me Wheels, a scheme that repairs bicycles found dumped or abandoned.

Some have been handed over to members of Willesden Mosque.

Dr Raja Amjid Riaz, chairman of the Central Mosque of Brent said they planned to get a system in place where people could "take their bikes for free, enjoy them and bring them back for somebody else to share".

Wembley residents were invited to dump bulky items in a council skips for free on Saturday

In April, Brent council along with other London boroughs, also increased its fines to the maximum £1,000.

The fine, known as a fixed penalty notice (FPN), used to be £400.

As a result of all these different measures, Brent council has said fly-tipping is down locally.

Despite its progress, its enforcement teams say there is still plenty of work to do.