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Kerrier: FLYTIPPERS… YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA!

Kerrier District Council is raising the stakes in its battle against flytipping, vandalism and other antisocial behaviour, by using hi-tech, hidden cameras.


Nationally, clearing up flytipping alone costs Councils, Landowners and the Environment Agency up to £150 million each year, and the new covert surveillance equipment has been purchased to allow Kerrier to work more actively to prevent the problem.

Cllr Graeme Hicks, Kerrier’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment said: “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.�

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

Andy Mead, Direct Services Manager, explained: “This is a very flexible, discreet system. We can hide it almost anywhere, at very short notice, and catch offenders red-handed at any hour of the day or night. We want to say very clearly that there’s nowhere in the Kerrier District that’s safe for vandals and flytippers. �

The system’s suppliers, Wireless CCTV, commented: “We developed the rugged ‘environmental package’ specifically for councils who were experiencing problems with fly tipping. Many users up and down the country have managed to catch environmental criminals and there have even been a number of convictions. The combination of military style housings, high tech cameras, battery power and remote access to images makes the wireless CCTV ideally suited to fly tipping applications�

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.

For the past month, the Council has been using the cameras to monitor known flytipping hotspots such as Mitchell Lane in Camborne, and has gathered evidence of criminal activity which has been passed to the Police for further investigation.

Additionally, from the New Year, Kerrier will grant all its officers the power to issue on-the-spot £50 fixed penalty fines for litter and dog fouling.