Warning over bin fraudsters in South Tyneside amid fears scammers will use crisis to prey on families

Although household bin collections have continued during the coronavirus lockdown in South Tyneside, garden waste pick-ups were cancelled and the Middlefields Recycling Village closed.

But even as borough bosses begin a cautious return to normality, they have urged household to remain vigilant against anyone trying to profit illegally from the contents of their bins.

“We know that this is a difficult time for residents and what is going in people’s waste bins may not be at the forefront of their minds,” said Joan Atkinson, cabinet member for Area Management and Community Safety at South Tyneside Council.

“However, we are asking residents to be mindful of what documents they are putting in their bins.

“It is important to remove key information such as bank account details or credit card slips from paperwork.

“Unwanted documents should be destroyed using a shredder or by deleting personal details from paperwork before disposing of them.”

Families have been told they should be ‘especially cautious’ of anyone claiming to be a ‘legitimate waste carrier’, who may illegally dump anything they are paid to dispose of.

Fraudsters have also been attempting to exploit the COVID-19 outbreak and households have been urged to guard against the threat of identity theft by ensuring any personal or sensitive information is ‘safely and properly discarded’.

The Recycling Village reopened on May 11, although with restrictions in place to try and comply with rules on social distancing essential journeys, including limiting vehicles to trips on specified days based on their licence plate numbers.

Garden waste collections have restarted, while bulky waste collection are also available.

Coun Atkinson accepted the disruption had put pressure on families, but she also slammed the ‘irresponsible minority’ who have dumped waste illegally during lockdown.

“There really is no excuse for it,” she added.

“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, hazardous to the environment and places an additional burden on the council’s valuable resources, particularly at a time when they have been re-focussed to deal with the impact of the biggest public health crisis of our time.”

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