Fly-tipping: Leicestershire farmer calls for action

Will Oliver said the fly-tippers cut through locked gates to get into fields

A farmer is urging the authorities to do more to tackle fly-tipping.

Will Oliver said his farm, near Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, had been repeatedly targeted in recent years, forcing him to spend time and money clearing it up.

He said there was a lack of awareness about fly-tipping's impact, and that the penalties should be stiffer.

The county council wants more people to report incidents so evidence against the culprits can be gathered.

A recent fly-tip included an old washing machine and children's toys

Mr Oliver said illegal dumping was a "very big problem for us".

Items dumped on his land include bags of cannabis plants, rubble from a building site and several lorryloads of tyres.

"They are cutting chains on gates, getting access to fields, dumping it in ditches which then causes drainage problems," he said.

"It really is a challenge for us."

Higher fines

Mr Oliver is also an ambassador for Clean Up Britain, a campaign group seeking to cut down on littering.

"We are working as a group of people to get the message out there about the rubbish in our country," he said.

"Not just the fly-tipping but the state of the motorways, the chewing gum on the high streets - everything."

Rob Newbery, regional director for the National Farmers' Union, appealed for people to use correctly licensed waste companies.

"We would like to see higher fines for waste dumped on a commercial scale like this because the fines at the moment aren't really a deterrent," he said.

Andrew Woodman, community services portfolio holder for North West Leicestershire District Council, said: "It is a problem. We have had over 500 incidents in the past year.

"We have issued some fines but there are more incidents and we actually want more of the fly tips to be reported to us.

"On private land, obviously the landowner has to clear it away but if they notify the council we can look at rubbish that's been dumped to see if we can find the culprit."