last updated 6th January 06
by 4ecotips.com

Positive identification at up to 100 yards

In the UK clearing up flytipping alone costs councils, landowners and the Environment Agency up to £150 million each year. Kerrier District Council is raising the stakes in its battle against flytipping, vandalism and other antisocial behaviour, by using hi-tech hidden cameras. The new covert surveillance equipment has been purchased to allow Kerrier to work more actively to prevent the problem.

The new equipment is completely wireless, and operates without mains power, meaning cameras can be concealed at isolated locations anywhere in the district, and operated remotely from the council's depot.

The high powered cameras can identify people and vehicles up to 100 yards away, while automatic recording triggers offer 24-hour coverage where required.

The council's use of the cameras is bound by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, and it has established an information-sharing protocol with the police. Ownership details can be retrieved for any vehicles implicated, and new government regulations on Household Duty of Care on Waste mean the council can even take action against private householders who do not ensure their waste is properly disposed of to an authorised person.

Cllr Graeme Hicks, Kerrier's Portfolio Holder for the Environment says: "Flytipping is a blight on town and countryside alike. Quite aside from being a danger and an eyesore, it's simply unacceptable that every year, this council is forced to spend taxpayers' money clearing up over a hundred tonnes of other people's mess. We intend to take the strongest possible line, discouraging or prosecuting those responsible until we have stamped it out."