Croydon Council has launched a "zero-tolerance" crackdown on fly-tipping and is urging residents to name and shame offenders across the borough. The authority has begun posting footage on a designated page showing people caught in the act.
Mayor's Call to Action
Executive Mayor Jason Perry wants people to watch through the "rogues' gallery" and get in touch if they recognise anyone caught on camera. A Thornton Heath resident recently filmed rubbish being illegally dumped and shared the footage on social media.
After the video was shared with Croydon Council, enforcement officers traced the vehicle owner and issued a £400 fine which has since been paid. Annual Government data has found Croydon is England's hotspot for fly-tipping with more than 50,000 recorded incidents over the past year.
Residents' Frustrations
Long-suffering residents have complained of bin bags, mattresses and disused furniture being strewn across their streets while the council 'does not do enough to punish offenders'.
Mr Perry said: “Residents are rightly fed-up with people treating our streets like a dumping ground and so am I. The recent case in Thornton Heath shows exactly what can happen when residents and the Council work together. Someone thought they could dump rubbish on one of our high streets and get away with it. They were caught, traced and fined.
"The resident uploaded a video of someone fly-tipping to social media proving that people want it to stop and are prepared to do their bit to help. I wrote personally to thank the resident for taking pride in his neighbourhood and helping us take action.
“Through our zero-tolerance campaign we will be sharing clips of fly-tipping in action and encourage anyone who recognises people from the footage to get in touch. Zero-tolerance is not just a slogan; it is backed by real enforcement action to restore pride in our neighbourhoods. If you fly-tip in Croydon and you are caught, you will be pursued and you will be fined.”
