Emma Lewell MP: Drones and mobile CCTV will be used in battle to tackle fly-tipping

Rubbish that was recently dumped over railings on the Metro line embankment near Chichester station.

As constituents know, I am always out across South Shields, either knocking on doors, at drop-ins, visits, and street stalls as well as meeting with any resident who wants to speak with me or needs my help.

Regardless of the initial concern people want to chat to me about, the one thing that comes up repeatedly is the rise of rubbish and fly-tipping across South Shields. Discarded waste and fly-tipping has a negative impact, it affects how people who live here feel, it affects our local businesses and how visitors perceive us.

I know most of my constituents care deeply about our community and do not engage in fly-tipping, disposing of their rubbish in a proper way. Many of us have, and continue to take part in, regular estate, parks, and beach clean-ups.

But we should not have to do this. It is the responsibility of the local council to keep our streets clean. That is why our Labour Government has announced new plans this week to give more powers to our council, working with the police to crack down on waste criminals.

Across the country, incidents of fly-tipping have increased by a fifth. Under the last Conservative government, rates of fly-tipping in England increased to over 3,000 incidents per day. Yet, at the same time, action against criminals illegally disposing of waste decreased, with fixed penalty notices to penalise rubbish dumpers falling by 12,000 since 2019.

Under the Labour Government’s plans, drones and mobile CCTV cameras will be used to identify cars and vans belonging to fly-tippers so that they can seize and destroy them. Presently, councils bear the cost of confiscating these vehicles and storing them, but no more. These plans will see the fly-tippers bearing the cost themselves, not residents. Alongside this, the waste ‘cowboys’ who transport and dump waste illegally for others will face up to five years in prison.

We South Shields folk care about our area and are proud of our beaches, parks and neighbourhoods. For those who don’t care, under this new Government, they will feel the full force of the law.