Successful partnership working to crackdown on illegal trade vehicles

In recent years Newark and Sherwood District Council have been working to tackle environmental and rural crime in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police, the Environment Agency, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and have carried out a number of operations to target people using vehicles to commit environmental and rural crimes, including fly-tipping.

During the most recent operation the teams spent time in several locations across Newark and a number of vehicles were stopped and checked for Waste Carriers Licenses, Scrap Licenses and Waste Transfer Notes.

All the vehicles stopped were found to be carrying the necessary licenses, a significant improvement from previous operations during which a number of drivers were issued Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and in some cases vehicles were immediately seized by police.

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “These operations are another brilliant example of the proactive approach we are taking, alongside our partners, to disrupt and deter environmental and rural crime. It is extremely encouraging to see that our latest operation demonstrates the success that approach is having and the improvements we are making to the safety and cleanliness of our community.”

“We do not tolerate rogue waste operators who operate without the legally required licenses or those who blight our community with waste, and we will continue to leave no stone unturned to catch offenders. In the last year, we have seen a number of successful prosecutions for fly-tipping offences, and we will always seek the toughest punishments possible where the evidence supports a prosecution.”

Fly-tipping, the illegal disposal of waste, has been highlighted as a particular problem for Newark and Sherwood because it is covered by large areas of open countryside which gives offenders more opportunity to dispose of waste illegally. In many cases the Council suspects offenders are rogue waste operators who work for cash and do not operate with the necessary licenses.

The District Council is committed to clamping down on environmental and rural crime and work to do so includes a new partnership with District Enforcement, a private sector company that will support the District Council’s team of environmental protection officers (EPOs) by providing additional feet on the ground conducting daily patrolling of the district and helping issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN’s) to tackle a range of offences including littering and dog fouling. Trail cameras were also recently installed at Vicar Water Country Park to help engage young people and reduce wildlife crime.

A spokesperson for Newark Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Newark Neighbourhood Policing Team always welcome the opportunity to work with our partners at Newark and Sherwood District Council. By taking part in these days of action and adopting a multi-agency approach to problem solving allows us and our partners to be more effective in our efforts to tackle this, and other, community-based issues.”

Fly-tipping is illegal. If you are paying a third party to dispose of your waste, it is your responsibility to ensure it is done so legally. If the waste is found fly-tipped you will be fined or potentially prosecuted.

If you have any work done on your property, or if you pay someone to take waste away for you, always make sure they are registered with the Environment Agency. You can search registered companies on the Environment Agency website: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers . When they come to collect your waste, ask them to provide a waste transfer note or a receipt. You can download and print a template from the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/duty-of-care-waste-transfer-note-template.

Alternatively, residents can use the District Council’s bulky waste collection service for which there is a small charge, or for larger quantities it can provide you with an individual quote. For bulky waste or electrical waste visit: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/bulkywaste/