CCTV hope to deter Ashworth Valley fly-tippers

A crowdfunding campaign is aiming to raise funds for CCTV to deter fly-tippers from Ashworth Valley.

Local Friends group, The Friends of Ashworth Valley hope to raise £1,600 to install the security device in the area, which has been plagued by fly-tipping for years, making it one of the borough’s worst hit areas for dumped waste.

Previous items removed from the site include hundreds of tyres, catering jars of peanut butter, a car bumper and headlights, as well as typical household rubbish and rubble. Earlier this year, fencing was installed which has made a positive difference to the waste dumped in the area.

A spokesperson for The Friends of Ashworth Valley said: “We will be installing four cameras, which will be monitored at all times. Any evidence will be given straight to the council, which is also installing a camera at one of the hotspots.

“Ashworth Valley is the worst hit area in Rochdale in terms of frequency. Fly-tipping has been a problem forever and it has only got worse in recent years. We want people to know we will be watching them so they won’t continue to ruin the Ashworth Valley beauty spot. The cameras are also moveable, so we can follow activity throughout the area.”

At the time of publication, over £900 towards the cause has been raised. The cameras will be installed as soon as possible, and any additional funds will go towards extra cameras.

 

Earlier this year, figures from the BBC Shared Data Unit showed that Rochdale had one of the highest rates of major fly-tipping incidents in the country last year.

In 2018/19, 939 major incidents were recorded in the borough – the eighth highest in England – costing £300,210.

The cost of removing such large-scale fly-tipping locally last year took up a 52% chunk of the overall clearance cost – even though the number of large incidents accounted for 18% cent of the total of all fly-tipping incidents reported.

In total for the year 2018/19, local taxpayers spent £576,047 clearing 5,218 incidents.

Councils are able to issue on-the-spot fines to fly-tippers and to stop, search and seize vehicles suspected of being used for fly-tipping.

Local authorities and the Environment Agency are also able to issue penalties of up to £400 to householders who do not pass their waste to a licensed carrier and whose waste is then found fly-tipped.

If you have any information about fly-tipping or those responsible, please report it at rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling 0300 303 8884.

Information about how to dispose of bulky waste and the locations of recycling centres can be found at

• rochdale.gov.uk/recycling

To donate to the CCTV in Ashworth Valley, please visit:

• www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ashworthvalleycctv