Local Councillors in South Leeds have agreed to fund projects that will be key in the fight against grime crime.
With flytipping costing the council and private land owners hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to clean up, members of the Inner South Area Committee have agreed to purchase new surveillance equipment.
The six cameras will be deployed at flytipping hot spots and other known grot spots.
It’s hoped that the cameras, which are small enough to be hidden from view and quickly installed, will act as a deterrent to any would-be dumb-dumpers, saving on clean up costs in the long run.
The cameras can be left in position for weeks and will be spurred into action by motion sensors.
Signs will be placed in areas they are used to warn people that CCTV may be in operation.
However, should anyone ignore the signs and set the cameras off when attempting to illegally dump waste, the video evidence will be used to trace the culprits, bring them to court and recover the cost of clearing up.
In addition to the cameras, funding has also made available to allow enforcement staff to carry out weekend patrols to deter littering and dog fouling in key areas.
Councillor Angela Gabriel, Chair of Inner South Area Committee, said:
“Our locality teams do an incredible job working with our communities to ensure that residents, landlords and businesses know what do with their waste to keep them on the right side of the law.
“However, we have a significant amount of complaints about flytipping and dog fouling and these additional resources will help the officers tackle these problems head on and improve the environment for local people.
“The cameras and extra patrols are just another tool that will allow us to bring people who commit environmental crimes to account.”
Instances of flytipping can be reported via the Council’s website
The maximum fine for flytipping is £50,000 and up to five years imprisonment.
Fixed penalty notices of £75 will be issued to those who fail to clean up after their dog. Failure to accept or pay a fixed penalty notice will result in prosecution which carries a maximum penalty of £1,000.
