Rural Crime Team tackles fly-tipping in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire Police’s Rural Crime Team has been working to tackle fly-tipping, starting with two days of action last week.
The Rural Crime Team has been tackling fly-tippingThe Rural Crime Team has been tackling fly-tipping
The Rural Crime Team has been tackling fly-tipping

On Wednesday and Thursday, the team worked with Luton Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council to run the joint operation.Together with Environmental Protection Officers, they checked that waste-carrying vehicles carried the correct licence and were complying with the relevant requirements which allow them to move waste. The team also worked closely with Licensing Compliance Officers from all three local authorities to carry out checks at scrapyards, recycling centres and home businesses where cars are dismantled and parts are sold on. The days of action follow fly-tipping being highlighted as one of the national priorities for Rural Crime as set by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).Two fly-tipping sites in Bedfordshire are now being investigated by the Environment Agency, with support from the force’s Rural Crime Team.PC Stuart Grant, from the Rural Crime Team, said: “Fly-tipping can range from small sites on the side of the road to illegal waste dumping grounds, where others are charged to dump waste illegally with no control or documentation. “Fly-tipping has been identified as a national issue, but we know that it’s also a problem in our rural communities. Our residents shouldn’t have their landscapes blemished with waste.“Our days of action were a great success, and we were able to check numerous vehicles and make sure they held the correct licences and documentation. “We’ll continue to work with our colleagues at all of Bedfordshire’s local authorities to ensure Bedfordshire is not an easy target for fly-tipping and waste crime.”The Rural Crime Team are asking anyone who witnesses fly-tipping in progress to call 999. But, if waste has been dumped and it is not a crime in progress, it can be reported to the local authority for that area.