Rugby council appeal for witnesses after spate of fly-tipping leaves taxpayers with four-figure bill

Rugby Borough Council is urging witnesses to come forward after a spate of fly-tipping incidents in the borough's rural villages left taxpayers with a four-figure clean-up bill.

Piles of roof tiles have been dumped on rural roads in Barnacle, Bramcote and Wolvey in recent weeks, leaving the council facing a hefty bill.

Environmental protection officers at the council have now launched an investigation into the incidents and have appealed for help from residents to catch the culprits.

Roof tiles were discovered dumped in Top Road, Barnacle, on Thursday October 22, and in Barnacle's Lower Road on Wednesday, November 4.

Further roof tile fly-tips were found in Bazzard Road, Bramcote, on Thursday November 5 and Wolvey's Hinckley Road on Wednesday November 11.

Cllr Howard Roberts, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for environment and public realm, encouraged witnesses or anyone with information about the fly-tips to contact the council.

"These incidents have the hallmarks of commercial fly-tips, carried out by unscrupulous individuals who have no issue making an easy profit at the expense of the environment and the council taxpayer," Cllr Roberts said.

"Such individuals often choose rural locations to fly-tip to avoid being witnessed, but I'd urge anyone who has information which could help our investigation to come forward."

Residents can report information by calling the council on 01788 533533 or emailing [email protected]

The council investigates all fly-tipping incidents in the borough and backs Keep Britain Tidy's #CrimeNotToCare campaign, which promotes the message 'Your Rubbish, Your Responsibility'.

The message highlights the 'duty of care' householders have when disposing of waste, even when paying a business or 'man with a van' to take the rubbish away.

The duty of care means if a householder has failed to check whether a company or individual has a Waste Carrier Licence and the rubbish subsequently gets fly-tipped, the householder still has a legal responsibility for the waste and faces prosecution and a substantial fine.

The Environment Agency has a register of all Waste Carrier Licence holders. Residents can check a company or individual has a licence by calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 or by visiting the agency's website.