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Fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles

What you should do if you come across fly tipping or abandoned vehicles and how to report it. Pay a fixed penalty fine or report an untaxed vehicle.

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste. It can vary from a single bag of waste upwards to thousands of tonnes of construction and demolition waste.

Fly-tipping can be unsightly. It can pose a significant threat to people, wildlife, the environment and the local economy. 

It also undermines legitimate waste businesses where unscrupulous operators undercut those operating within the law.

If you come across fly tipping do not touch! Fly-tipped waste may contain syringes, broken glass, asbestos, toxic chemicals or other hazardous substances.

If the fly-tipping is on public land, please report it to us via the form below. We issue fixed penalty notices and there is an ‘unlimited’ maximum fine or imprisonment.

The map below shows fly tipped waste sites in North Lincolnshire. Please note the red dots on the map indicate fly tipped waste that has already been reported to the council and is waiting collection.

We aim to collect fly tipped waste within 7 days. It may longer depending on the size and type of waste.

Our crews work between the hours of 7:30am to 3pm. Any fly tips reported outside of these times will be actioned the next working day.

Fly-tipping costs us tens of thousands of pounds to clear up every year. We actively investigate instances of fly-tipping to find evidence of who dumped the waste and who it originally belonged to, and then take legal action.

Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which carries a fine of up to £50,000 and / or imprisonment.

Some small fly-tips may be dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty notice (FPN). If offenders do not accept the FPN we will prosecute. See our fixed penalty notices page for details of fines.

Information supplied by the local community helps us to tackle fly-tipping so we ask that you report fly-tipping using the online form.

We will investigate instances of fly-tipping where the offender can be identified.

We receive information about suspected fly-tippers from talking to witnesses, reviewing recordings from CCTV units set up to catch fly-tippers in the act or from information in the waste.

  • The day, date, location and time that the incident occurred
  • A description of the person dumping the waste
  • If they arrived in a vehicle, a description of the vehicle and the registration number
  • If they are on foot, details of their address if you saw them leave a house or business property
  • A description of the waste dumped e.g. fridge, garden waste, black bags etc.
  • How far away you were when the incident occurred
  • What kind of view you had

If the rubbish is deposited on private land, it is the responsibility of the land owner to have it removed. However can help to investigate the offence where there is suitable evidence that is likely to secure prosecution.

Whether you are a private householder or a business you have a duty in law to ensure that you store and dispose of your waste correctly.

As a local resident you usually dispose of your household waste using your wheeled bin. You may also take some of your waste to one of the Household Recycling Centres or use the Bulky Item Collection Service. The council may charge for the collection and disposal of some types of waste. You may also need to use a private registered waste carrier to deal with some types of waste.

If you are a business you must ensure that you use a trade waste service or use a registered waste carrier for all of your waste.

If you give your waste to a person that is not a registered waste carrier you may be committing an offence.

There is a Code of Practice  which sets out the requirements of the Waste Duty of Care issued under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

There have been a number of instances where residents have employed rogue waste carriers advertising on social media, and in particular Facebook. Rogue waste carriers will offer to take away your rubbish for a fee.

Council investigations have revealed that these rogue waste carriers, advertising as a ‘man with a van’, are not registered waste carriers and are acting illegally by taking residents waste and then fly-tipping it.

All residents and businesses have a legal responsibility to make sure their waste is disposed of correctly; if you let an unregistered waste carrier take away your rubbish, you are breaking the law and may be liable to a fine and even a criminal record. There is a Code of Practice which sets out the requirements of the Waste Duty of Care issued under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

A Brigg man was recently prosecuted after advertising his services as ‘a man with a van’ on Facebook. He took a number of residents’ money and rubbish and then dumped it at night down country roads and bridleways across North Lincolnshire.

Four residents who had paid for their rubbish to be removed by the man were interviewed under caution as part of our investigation. The four residents were subsequently issued with formal written cautions.

The fly-tipper received a fine of £1,349, a 12 week suspended prison sentence, 180 hours community service and placed under a four week curfew on a tag 9pm to 6am.

Make sure you check that anyone taking away your waste is a registered waste carrier. Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Ask to see their registration as a waste carrier.

  • To check if they are a registered waste carrier call the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506.
  • Check with the Environment Agency that they are registered.
  • Ask the person offering to take the waste where they are going to take the waste.
  • Refuse to hand over the waste if you suspect the waste is not being handled in line with the law.
  • If in doubt email us at customerservice@northlincs.gov.uk

 

Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Pay a fixed penalty notice (fine)

To pay a Fixed Penalty Notice, please see our fixed penalty notices page for details of fines and how to pay.

Abandoned vehicles

Abandoned vehicles are often:

  • left in the same location for long periods of time and unattended
  • neglected, in poor condition or vandalised
  • leaking fluids, such as oil and coolant etc

An abandoned vehicle is NOT a vehicle that is regularly parked badly or left in a troublesome place.

Burnt-out vehicles and vehicles parked in a dangerous location are the responsibility of Humberside Police via 101.

Before contacting us, it is possible to do your own checks to see if a vehicle is abandoned. The check vehicle MOT history tool will show you a car’s history. If a vehicle has a current MOT certificate, it is unlikely to be abandoned.

If a vehicle has been left in a dangerous location, you need to inform the police by calling 101.

We are unable to take action if a vehicle has been parked in an inconvenient location or it has not been there for a long period of time. If a vehicle is regularly parked badly or left in a troublesome place, try speaking to the owner.

Before contacting us, it is possible to do your own checks to see if a vehicle is abandoned. The check vehicle MOT history tool will show you a car’s history. If a vehicle has a current MOT certificate, it is unlikely to be abandoned.

If a vehicle has been left in a dangerous location, you need to inform the police by calling 101.

We are unable to take action if a vehicle has been parked in an inconvenient location or it has not been there for a long period of time. If a vehicle is regularly parked badly or left in a troublesome place, try speaking to the owner.

Untaxed vehicles should be reported directly to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) using their online form