Farmers have welcomed a change in the law making it easier for authorities to seize fly-tippers' vehicles, and in some circumstances allowing them to destroy vehicles which have been seized.
The Control of Waste (Dealing with Seized Property) Regulations 2015 came into force in England and Wales on 6 April 2015. The changes broaden the range of offences for which a vehicle can be seized; remove the need for a warrant to be obtained before seizure; and set out the circumstances under which the enforcement authority may sell or destroy seized property.
These changes to the current system follow strong support for the proposals from the CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses.
CLA President Henry Robinson said: “The CLA has been calling for fly-tippers to be dealt with more robustly for years. This change in the law to make it easier for authorities to seize fly-tippers’ vehicles is an important step towards tackling a serious issue for landowners.
“Landowners are still liable for any waste that is fly-tipped on their land and can be prosecuted if they do not clear it away. As well as blighting the countryside, fly-tipping costs the rural business sector up to £150 million in clean up costs every year and we encourage enforcement authorities to call on their new powers to tackle this burden on the rural economy.
“We will continue our campaign calling for the police and councils to treat the catching of offenders as a local priority.”
