Glasgow Calls for Tougher Penalties for Filthy Fly-tippers

Filthy fly-tippers could be hit with stiffer penalties after Glasgow City Council called for tougher powers.

Senior councillor Ruairi Kelly has urged the Scottish Government to significantly increase the scale of fines and range of sanctions imposed on fly-tippers to deter repeat offenders.

In a letter to ministers, Cllr Kelly said the maximum £200 fines which councils can impose limited the impact of enforcement, particularly regarding criminal gangs and rogue firms involved in the collection and illegal dumping of waste.

Cllr Kelly also expressed concerns that some commercial operations simply absorb the £200 fixed penalty notices as a business cost, then continue dumping waste illegally in Glasgow communities.

Calling for a review of the fly-tipping penalties which both councils and courts are able to impose on fly-tippers, he urged the Government to issue courts with guidance to impose fines towards the higher end of the scale.

He said: "Fines and sentencing for fly-tipping need to be an adequate deterrent to what has become an endemic problem across much of the city of Glasgow along with the rest of the country. But right now they're not.

"I'm asking the Scottish Government to look again at the levels of fines issued for fly-tipping. They haven't been revisited since 2014 and a significant increase in both council fines and court sanctions should be considered.

"I know our hard-working staff who are on the frontline dealing with what is criminal behaviour want to see tougher action and enforcement on this matter. As do citizens I speak with who are often impacted directly by this disgusting behaviour. But we need tougher sanctions to properly tackle this scourge.

"If we are to address both criminal element of this problem and affect behavioural change then we must be able to demonstrate consequences for those actions."

In his letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Cllr Kelly, Glasgow's Convener for Neighbourhood Services and Assets, also expressed concern about the sentencing in a recent fly-tipping court case.

Cllr Kelly wrote: "You may be aware of the recent case where Mr Stuart Allison was convicted of dumping household waste across the city. One of Mr Allison's former workers admitted that he had, 'dumped wasted in nearly every street with a dead end in Glasgow'. Mr Allison and Mr Hutton were both fined £750 and Mr Allison had to pay £1900 for the clean-up.

"In my opinion this does not in any way act as a deterrent for those who would carry out illegal dumping and could easily be factored in as a 'cost of doing business'. It also makes a mockery of the time and effort put in by both Glasgow City Council Staff and Police Scotland to investigate this and gather enough evidence to secure a conviction, not to mention being a slap in the face to the communities who must live with the consequences of this criminal behaviour."

The Scottish Government recently consulted with local authorities across the country around a new strategy National Litter and Fly-tipping Strategy.