Wokingham Borough Council and the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) are now working together to target fly-tipping and other environmental crimes across the Wokingham Borough.
The PPP can now use evidence, gathered by borough council officers attending sites where waste has been dumped, to carry out investigations to track down perpetrators.
They will also have access to specialist case management intelligence, and look to remove any financial gains from people who have benefitted from illegal activity.
“People and businesses are very important in terms of identifying offenders. So I would ask anyone, that comes across a fly-tip or other waste offending, to report it,” said Clare Lawrence, assistant director place based services at Wokingham Borough Council.
“I would also urge people to be very careful about who they give their waste to, for disposal. Every one of us has a duty of care when it comes to waste disposal, and breaching that duty is an offence that can lead to severe penalties. Never give waste to an unlicensed carrier, and always ask for documentation when it’s collected.”
Steve Loudoun, chairman of the public protection management board, said: “We know, that in some cases, offending is cross-border, organised, and linked to rogue trading, but we’re well set up to bring our investigative and other skills to the table. The Public Protection Joint Committee also recently confirmed environmental protection as one of its key strategic priorities and this is part of the delivery on that key priority.”
The Public Protection Management Board manages the work of the PPP in environmental health, licensing and trading standards on behalf of Bracknell Forest Borough Council, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council.
Report fly-tipping and environmental crime on Wokingham Borough Council’s website.
