WOODLAND “grot spots” favoured by fly-tippers could soon see CCTV systems installed to combat an ‘ongoing local problem’.
Cameras in dumping “hotspots” like Castlefield Wood and Desborough Castle Hillfort, in High Wycombe, are being considered by local agencies to help prosecute criminals.
Buckinghamshire Council, Thames Valley Police (TVP) and Red Kite Community Housing are among those called to help catch offenders, said John Shaw of the Chiltern Rangers.
READ MORE: ‘Scum’ – Fly-tippers are turning area of town into ‘open-air bin’
He said much of the mess is being dumped by locals, adding charges at the tip had ‘given people an excuse’.
Cllr Lesley Clarke said fly-tipping and litter across High Wycombe is an “absolute disgrace” and encouraged the High Wycombe Town Committee to assign funding to the efforts of the Chiltern Rangers.
“We in High Wycombe suffer greatly from fly-tipping, in some of the woodlands in particular,” said Mr Shaw.
“The two woods I have found consistently to be a problem are Castlefield and Desborough Castle along the Spearing Road service road.
“Really and truthfully, the only solution will be a group of organisations – the council, the police, Red Kite and then ourselves – putting cameras up to catch some people and prosecute.
“Unfortunately, the last time a camera was put up it was vandalised – within 24 hours it was smashed to pieces.
“I’m just too long in the tooth – I’ve seen it for years and years and it’s something that causes a problem on an ongoing basis. The amount we take out the woods is quite phenomenal.
“Take it from me…it is a local problem. It nearly always comes from the roads immediately adjacent…and it happens in every single ward in the area.
“You can see it waiting in their back gardens, and then two weeks later it’s over the fence and in our woods. A lot of the stuff harbours pests, diseases and rats.
“I do think the perceptions of charging at the dump is a problem because people will use that as an excuse.
“It is not a straightforward problem in some of these grot spots and hotspots.”
Cllr Brian Pearce said fly-tipping had “increased a great deal since the charges were brought in”.
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