Resident hits out after asbestos dumped in ditch near Southport

Resident hits out after asbestos dumped in ditch near Southport.

Asbestos was found dumped in a ditch in Bolton’s Cop this week and has been reported to the Council by multiple concerned residents.

Asbestos is a natural fibrous rock and was widely used within homes and other buildings until 1999, but it can present a risk to health when the fibres become airborne.

Ben Jackson first noticed the asbestos when he was dog walking earlier this week.

He said: “Insulation and asbestos has been blocking the ditch for days, its a disgrace, builders who fly-tip asbestos should be handed custodial sentences”.

Anyone caught illegally dumping waste could soon face an on-the spot penalty of up to £400, the Environment Minister Rory Stewart announced today.

From Monday 9 May local authorities will be given greater powers to tackle the crime by issuing penalty notices of between £150 and £400 to those caught in the act of fly-tipping anything from old fridges or sofas to garden waste or rubble.

Introducing fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping is the latest move in a government crackdown on waste crime, which costs the economy millions of pounds a year in clean-up costs, undermines legitimate business, and poses serious risks to our environment.

Environment Minister Rory Stewart said:

It’s beyond me that anyone feels it’s acceptable to simply dump their waste by the road – whether in our cities or our countryside. The new fixed penalty notices will provide local authorities with another tool to crack down on the selfish individuals who blight our neighbourhoods and ruin our beautiful landscape.

The fines will also act as a deterrent and we will continue to work with local authorities to tackle the root cause of the crime and change the mentality of the few who commit it.

While acting as a deterrent, the fixed penalty notices will also save local authorities time and money in punishing offenders as they will provide a quicker alternative to prosecuting fly-tippers through the courts. However, prosecutions will remain an option for local authorities in punishing large scale waste criminals.

The introduction of the fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping was a manifesto commitment and comes ahead of the forthcoming launch of our national litter strategy.