Exclusive: Dagenham and Rainham MP calls on council to take zero tolerance approach on fly tipping as councils given extra powers.

The Government has acted to clamp down on fly tipping. Waste criminals across England face their toughest ever crackdown, as the government and Environment Agency unveil a sweeping package of measures targeting illegal dumping.   

Dagenham and Rainham MP, Margaret Mullane, is calling for this zero – tolerance approach to be taken up locally. The new Waste Crime Action Plan setsaction to prevent waste crime at its source by closing loopholes and providing the tools they need to stop waste criminals.   

Under the plans, the government will ramp up efforts to punish offenders committing waste crime. This could see them ordered to complete up to 20 hours of unpaid work cleaning streets and parks as part of new “clean-up squads” and required to repay the cost of clearing the waste they illegally dumped.

The programme is being backed by an additional £45 million from the government over the next three years, this represents a significant uplift of the Environment Agency’s enforcement budget, whichstood at £10 million under the previous government. The government is forcing fly-tippers to pay to clean up illegal waste sites, it will also introduce a Landfill Tax rebate for local authorities that step up to clear sites, easing financial pressures on authorities. 

Margaret told the Havering Daily: “Waste criminals have been damaging Dagenham and Rainham for too long. This Action Plan sends a clear message: dump illegally and you will face the full consequences.  

I want Havering Council to step up so that waste criminals will be forced to join clean up squads and made to pay for the clearing of illegal waste sites to bring offenders to justice.” 

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