A team effort is renewing efforts to crack down on fly-tipping in Cheshire West.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has again joined forces with Cheshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime team, to carry out intensive enforcement throughout the borough to tackle fly-tipping and waste transfer offences, as part of the now established Operation Flycatcher.

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 of properties in close proximity to fly-tips, asking anyone with information that might help identify those responsible for the fly tipping to come forward. The fly-tipping was also immediately removed by the council’s StreetCare team.

Interviews of suspects 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 stops of commercial waste vehicles throughout the borough.

Commercial vehicles were stopped and checked to make sure they had the required licences and documentation to carry waste.

Mobile CCTV is still being used in fly-tipping hotspot areas across the borough and will continue to be deployed.

The council’s cabinet member for homes, planning and safer communities, Cllr Christine Warner said: “We will continue to clamp down on fly-tippers with the intention of stamping out 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.

“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.

“We also want to make residents aware of unlicensed waste carriers. Always check the person taking away your rubbish has the correct licence, or you could be liable for prosecution if they fly-tip your waste.

“People offer such services via social media, but they may not be what they claim to be. Please check before you hand over your waste to anyone.”

You can check if a waste carrier is licensed at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/index