Clampdown on fly-tipping to take place in designated areas of Pendle

A Cleaner Neighbourhoods Project is to be launched in certain areas of Nelson and Colne.

Pendle Council will be providing a large skip and a refuse collection vehicle in five different locations on five Saturday mornings during September and October.

There will be staff on-hand to safely dispose of unwanted items and answer any questions residents may have about the services the Council delivers, and how waste or materials can be correctly disposed of.

Councillor Asjad Mahmood, Leader of Pendle Borough Council, said: “There has been a significant increase in the level of fly-tipping incidents in Pendle over the last few years.

“We need to tackle this problem head-on and this campaign is one way of doing it.”

In 2019/20 3,163 incidents were recorded. The following year this number increased to 5,716. Although the figure reduced in 2021/2022, there were still in excess of 5,000 recorded fly-tipping incidents.

Investigations show that fly-tipping is more prominent in terraced housing areas, where there are  high levels of rented properties with a high turnover of residents.

David Walker, Pendle Borough Council's Assistant Director of Operational Services, said: “The project aims to increase knowledge of both Pendle Borough Council and Lancashire County Council’s services to provide residents with information on how to responsibly dispose of unwanted items.

“The first step will be to promote our amnesty events which will provide residents with an opportunity to dispose of unwanted domestic household items for a temporary period within areas of concern.

“We will have staff on-hand to make sure the correct items are being disposed of. We will take items such as polystyrene packaging, which is commonly placed incorrectly in the blue bins, and anything that would be collected through the Council’s free bulky household waste service.

“Please do not bring items such as builders’ waste, asbestos, paint or gas cylinders. If you have any of these items to dispose of, please speak to a member of the team on the day.

“This is a pilot scheme which we are trialling in the areas where we have the highest number of fly-tips recorded. Hopefully we will be able to roll it out to other areas at a later date.”

Councillor Zafar Ali, Pendle Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change, added: “The first step of the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Project will concentrate on areas in Nelson and one in Colne with the greatest amount of fly-tipping cases per population.

“We are hoping if nothing else, residents will become educated on what to do with unwanted items and who to contact for help, rather than dumping their rubbish on the streets.”