Gloucester City Council issue £48k in fly-tipping fines

Latest council figures show £48,000 worth of fines have been issued for fly-tipping

More than 160 fines worth £48,000 have been issued to people for fly-tipping and littering in Gloucester over the last financial year.

Gloucester City Council chiefs praised their environmental teams in cracking down on the issue.

Council leader Richard Cook confirmed the fines total at the council meeting at North Warehouse on 23 February.

More than 100 warning letters have been sent out to offenders, with a total of 341 fly-tipping cases reported.

"A total of 161 fixed penalty notices have been issued and 100 warning letters sent. Collectively, some £48,000 in fines have been issued," said Mr Cook.

"They have engaged with partners and other organisations to educate people about fly-tipping and other environmental offences."

Recycling stepped up

The city council said it had stepped up efforts over the last year to deal with the problem.

The authority has also recently been given decommissioned Gloucestershire Constabulary CCTV cameras, which they will use to catch offenders.

Fly-tipping is a problem across the county and Cotswolds councillors recently called out an "outrageous" case of fly-tipping near Cirencester.

Mr Cook also commended Ubico workers and residents for their efforts in recycling.

The authority has increased the value of what it recycles to £1.25m up from £350,000 three years ago, he confirmed.

Ubico has "seamlessly" taken over the waste, recycling and ground maintenance services from Urbaser, Mr Cook said.

"The huge increase in the value of our recyclables is in part down to Ubico's handling and collection and storage," he added.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]