Vehicle seized on suspicion of being involved in fly-tipping

The white Ford transit van was seized from an address in Rydal Avenue, Easington Lane on Thursday morning on suspicion of being involved in a fly-tipping incident, which occurred in the rear lane of Devonshire Street/Warwick Street, Southwick in May, which completely blocked vehicular access along the back lane.

Because the offence occurred in Southwick, the investigation and seizure operation were conducted in support of the Southwick Altogether Raising Aspirations project (SARA). This included partnership working with SARA officers and the SARA Police Team, as well as officers from the Houghton and Hetton Neighbourhood Police Team.

This is the 11th vehicle the City Council has seized since August 2019 on the grounds of being believed to have been used in fly-tipping.  

Of the 10 others, subsequent investigations resulted in 5 vehicles later being crushed. 1 is due to be crushed in coming weeks, while 4 were returned to their owners.

Councils have powers allowing them to confiscate any vehicle they suspect of being involved in environmental crime or fly-tipping. Owners can request to claim their vehicle back and the council will decide as to whether the vehicle will be returned. If a decision is made not to return the vehicle this could result in the vehicle being crushed or sold.

The desire by residents to see more enforcement action against fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour was one of the key things to come out of the City Council's Let's Talk consultation in 2020.

In addition to the 11 vehicle seizures carried the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, the City Council has carried out fly tipping investigations, which have resulted in 93 fixed penalty notices being issued and 35 successful prosecutions, which has resulted in fines totalling £9,446.  The council have also recouped costs associated with these prosecutions, totalling £10,358.

All the revenue generated from fixed penalty notices, including costs and compensation awarded by the courts, is ploughed back into the service and helps pay towards the costs of cleaning up litter and fly-tipping, keeping highways clean, and enforcement against littering graffiti and fly-posting.

Councillor Claire Rowntree, Deputy Leader of Sunderland City Council and Cabinet Member for Clean Green City, said: "We know that fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour are two of our residents' biggest bugbears because they've told us so.

"Fly-tipping is not only illegal but anti-social. It can be a real blight on communities so where we come across evidence that a vehicle may have been used for fly-tipping, we use our legal powers to seize it. 

"If the owner doesn't come forward within a certain period of time to claim it and provide the relevant documentation, we look to use these powers to either crush it or sell it. I hope this seizure acts as a stark warning to anyone tempted to fly-tip.

"I'd like to thank everyone who helps to keep our city clean by taking the time to report fly-tipping because it allows us to take action against those who are responsible. It's also really important if you're planning to use a private waste collector that you make the proper checks first so you don't unwittingly fall victim to fly-tippers.

"As householders, we all have a legal 'Duty of Care' to make sure that our waste is disposed of lawfully so if you are arranging a private collection you need to check where the waste is going and whether they have a valid waste carrier's licence. If you don't and it's found dumped, you could be the one left to pick up the bill."

Anyone planning to use a private waste collector they should check with the Environment Agency that the person, or company concerned has a valid waste carriers licence by visiting their website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/access-the-public-register-for-environmental-information or by calling them on 08708 506 506. If you witness fly-tipping you can report it anonymously to https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/report-flytipping or by calling 0191 520 5550.