CHESTER: Police and council crackdown on fly-tipping

Cheshire West and Chester Council has once again joined forces with Cheshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime team to tackle the issue.

The now well-established ‘Operation Flycatcher’ involves intensive enforcement action throughout the borough to tackle fly-tipping and waste transfer offences.

Enforcement officers examined all reported fly-tips across the borough during the operation, searching for evidence of potential offenders.

Officers also spoke to residents in the local area and posted letters through doors, asking anyone with information that might help identify those responsible for the fly tipping to come forward.  

Police and council crackdown on fly-tipping in Cheshire West (Image: Cheshire West and Chester Council)

Doorstep interviews under caution were carried out where evidence was found, and investigations are continuing.

Officers from Cheshire Police and the Council also worked in partnership carrying out spot check of commercial vehicles throughout the borough.

Commercial vehicles were stopped, and checks were carried out to make sure that if they were carrying waste they had the required licences and documentation to do so. 

Mobile CCTV is still in operation in fly tipping hot spot areas across the borough and will continue to be used.

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Homes, Planning and Safer Communities, Councillor Christine Warner said: “We will continue to clamp down on fly tippers with the intention of eradicating fly tipping completely from Cheshire West and Chester.

“Fly tipping is a blight on our beautiful borough and Operation Flycatcher is just one of a number of innovative ways we are dealing with it.

“Fly tipping figures have declined in the past 12 months following the enforcement interventions, and we want to see a further decline next year.

“This operation is part of our continued multi-agency campaign to ensure that unscrupulous individuals and businesses do not get away with disposing of their waste illegally.”