A FLY-TIPPING epidemic has led to calls for a recycling centre policy review. Since the county council implemented a permit system at its Household Waste Recycling Centres in February there has been more illegal dumping in the countryside and on private land. Local authorities are not legally responsible for the disposal of commercial waste, but last year illegal commercial waste dumped at HWRCs cost the county council £1million. However, the costs for small businesses taking rubbish to trade waste centres, and Hampshire County Council's restrictions on the size of trailers allowed at HWRCs are blamed for a growth in flytipping. Four Marks has several flytipping hotspots and landowner and parish council chairman Bryan Timms regularly has to deal with flytipping. Mr Timms said: "I have to clear the rubbish up myself because it's on private land. Weekends are worst. It's awfully frustrating and unreasonable but it's going to get worse as tips become more expensive. "We need to look at actual recycling and sites that the local authorities run because they're creating a problem. If they accepted more, it wouldn't be dumped on the road and they wouldn't have to clear it up. "I've had to increase my security cameras because there is dumping at every opportunity." Similar problems exist at Lymington Farm Industrial Estate, which is owned by Norman Read. Mr Read's land is littered with mattresses, tree trunks, tyres, fridges, TVs and other rubbish. He says he can't gate his land because too many people require legitimate access out of hours, but he is looking at other measures. "It's horrible. Go through the lanes and you see that someone has cut their hedge and dumped the cuttings in black bags. It's so selfish. "In Gullet Woods near Soldridge you could pick up a dozen fridges, but the council will come to your home and take them away. "If a builder turns up at the Alton centre he's told to take his rubbish away. The local authorities need to be more lenient on small tradesmen. There are trade places to take their rubbish but they are miles away in the big towns, that's the problem." East Hampshire District Council has a statutory duty to clear fly-tipping and is monitoring the situation. According to streetcare manager Mark Bailey the trend shows an increase in trade waste and dumping by individuals, as well as hotspots which EHDC is mapping. But, while EHDC will prosecute and has ongoing cases culprits are hard to trace unless they are seen, filmed or leave evidence. "It takes time away from other duties and costs us thousands of pounds a year," said Mr Bailey. EHDC is looking to work in partnership with other local authorities to offset expenses and to standardise a cross-border approach. HCC is reluctant to acknowledge that the increase in fly-tipping is related to restrictions on commercial-type vehicles and large trailers. It believes that any localised increase should be set in a context of gradually increasing fly-tipping on a national scale. An HCC spokesman said: "We are continuing to work with district councils and the Environment Agency to ensure any instances of fly-tipping are fully monitored and investigated."
