TAXPAYERS are still forking out thousands of pounds every year to clean up the mess left by fly-tippers.

Reporter Michael Race went out on duty with environmental officers at two Oxfordshire district councils to find out the true scale of the problem. 

OUR beautiful county is being blighted by people who dump their rubbish illegally. It's a problem council workers have had to deal with several years but more and more money is being spent cleaning the mess up.

And they're urging the public to be on the lookout to help catch those responsible. 

We spent time with officers at Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils to discover just what the issue involves. The authorities have warned residents to look out for the signs of 'selfish and reckless individuals' dumping rubbish illegally.

The teams, which deal with fly-tipping incidents every day urged the public to watch out for people offering to dispose of their waste for cut down prices, adding if the deal sounded too good to be true, then it probably is.

And if a person's rubbish is illegally dumped by a fly-tipper, the resident themselves can be fined or even prosecuted in court.

Paul Holland, environmental protection manager for Vale and South, said a big problem in the county was 'professional fly-tippers' offering to take rubbish away for between £50 and £70, which would then be dumped down a back road or in a field.

He added: "It would cost about £150 for a resident to dispose of a 'van load of waste'.

"If you pay anything less, there is a potential someone could fly tip that waste."

Mr Holland added other incidents of fly-tipping occurred by residents, who would 'make a stupid mistake' and often be dealt with through a fine or formal warning.

But he warned members of the public to conduct checks on people offering to dispose of waste, such as asking to see their licence to carry and dispose of waste, getting a receipt and taking a note of the vehicle registration.

Mr Holland added a lot of fly-tippers targeted the Vale and South areas from Oxford and Reading, dumping waste on country roads, back lanes and fields.

Both South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have actually seen a reduction in the number of fly-tipping incidents by 3.8 percent and 25.2 per cent over the past three years respectively.

But there have been concerns raised elsewhere that not enough people are being bought to justice. 

In 2015/16 there were 255 incidents of fly-tipping reported to the Vale compared to 497 incidents in South Oxfordshire.

Of those, incidents 23 prosecutions were made by the Vale compared to nine by the South Oxfordshire team.

It is understood, Bayswater Road between Barton and Beckley is a hotspot for waste being dumped, along with areas near Elsfield and Marston.

Elsewhere, Wytham, Thrupp Lane in Radley and Sandy Lane in Kennington have been blighted by rubbish.

Tony Harbour, cabinet member for the environment at SODC said: "We live in a beautiful area of the country and do not want it blighted by selfish and reckless individuals.

"Fly-tipping costs thousands of pounds a year to clean up and investigate, and we will not hesitate to prosecute anyone we believe is responsible."

Elaine Ware, cabinet member for environmental health at Vale added: "If you pay someone to remove your waste you have a duty to check they are licensed and will be taking it to an authorised site.

"Remember - keep a record of who’s taking it way - including the vehicle details, what rubbish they are taking, and where it’s going. 

"If you haven’t got these details, and your rubbish is then fly-tipped, you could be face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence."

What do the council officers do?

- The team of environment officers go to fly tipping incidents in their districts on a daily basis, usually following a report from a member of the public (you can report issues on 01235 422403)

- Officers investigate and aim to track down the perpetrators.

- They also contact a waste disposal team to clean-up the mess, which can costs thousands of pounds depending on the size and type of rubbish dumped.


- The punishments they can give out can range from Fixed Penalty Notices, written warnings, cautions or prosecutions.