‘It’s Time To Get Tough With Flytippers’ Says Labour Councillor.

“Whose side are the Havering Residents Association on?” asks Jane Keane, the Local Labour Councillor for St Alban’s Ward in Romford and Hornchurch. 

“A fly-tipper recently dumped a container of corrosive liquid near the entrance to Hylands Park. Mr Wade, staying nearby, had images from a CCTV system showing the person’s face and the vehicle they were driving when they dumped the hazardous waste. He reported the incidence. Although the container was very quickly removed by the Council, the perpetrator has not been punished. Even though there was robust CCTV evidence, the Council’s enforcement officers did not even collect it. It was only collected after my intervention.”

Jane added, “This is not right. Council Officers must address residents’ concerns promptly and properly. It should not be necessary for residents to have to contact a local councillor to get something done. Sadly, it appears that the vehicle was not registered to an owner.  It was taxed and MOT’d, so must have had a registered owner recently to be taxed and MOT’d. I have asked whether our enforcement officers have used the Police National Database to find the owner before more hazardous waste is tipped next to another children’s playground from this vehicle.”

It was because of many cases like this in her in-tray, that at the Ordnary Council Meeting on 3rd September, the St Alban’s Ward Councillor Jane Keane, took the Havering Residents Association Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Barry Mugglestone, to task for failing to robustly address fly-tipping in the Borough. Jane questioned whether the Cabinet Member shared her view that a tougher approach to fly-tipping would help to reduce unlawful fly-tipping. She called for the weekly public publication of the Borough’s fly-tipping statistics including costs and prosecutions.  

In giving a response to Jane’s question Councillors learned that since January 2024, the Council had issued 261 Fixed Penalty Notices for flytipping, resulting in £30,400 of fines paid. “This doesn’t seem like much punishment to me”, said Jane outside the meeting “Especially given that the maximum penalty is an unlimited fine.”

Jane also asked the Cabinet Member a supplementary question whether the Council might introduce a Fly-tipper’s Wall of Shame so that the identity of prosecuted fly-tippers and their crimes might be better publicised, in hopes of deterring others from fly-tipping or to deter residents from using their businesses.  Jane said, “I was shocked at the Cabinet Member’s response. He appeared to be on the side of the fly-tippers rather than on the side of residents whose lives are blighted by this criminal, anti-social and dangerous behaviour. Perhaps he was confusing litter droppers with fly-tippers; the two shouldn’t be confused. Although litter dropping is anti-social, fly-tipping is an entirely different level of obnoxious behaviour!”

Jane added, “Nearly every week I report a significant incidence of fly-tipping in my ward. For example, the footpath behind Kingsmead Mansions has been reported numerous times as a fly-tipping hotspot and yet I have not seen a single criminal prosecution of any perpetrator for dumping waste and furniture in the footpath. Other law-abiding residents should not have to endure living in the squalor caused by flytippers. The HRA Cabinet Member absolutely must get tougher with the criminal fly-tippers.” 

“This is definitely not a criticism of our waste collectors” emphasised Jane,” I see them reporting fly-tips regularly in my ward. I urge members of the public to continue to work with me to improve Romford by reporting fly-tips on the Council’s website quickly – the fly-tip is usually dealt with promptly.  

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