MORE than 125,000 reports of fly-tipping were made to Scottish councils in the past two years.
Research from the Scottish LibDems showed that 127,625 reports of fly-tipping were made to local authorities, but only 12 were referred to the Procurator Fiscal.
The research shows that during 2020, there was an increase in fly-tipping reports, peaking at 6994 in July.
Fife (eight), Dumfries and Galloway (three) and East Dunbartonshire (one) were the only three councils who reported incidents to the Procurator Fiscal. Glasgow City Council recorded the highest number of reports, with 44,190 across two years.
LibDem environment spokesperson Molly Nolan has condemned the behaviour of people who dispose of their waste illegally and called for them to “face the full force of the law”.
Nolan said: “From remote beauty spots to busy cities, fly-tipping is a widespread issue, and it needs to be addressed.
“With refuse collections disrupted and tips closed for long stretches, there has clearly been an increase in incidents since the pandemic hit.
“Just at the moment where many of us gained a fresh appreciation for nature and our local environment, it was disheartening to see such carelessness towards it.
“Fly-tipping is destructive and can prove catastrophic for animals, plants and soil.
“We need to see local authorities using the powers at their disposal to clamp down on this disgusting behaviour and ensure that repeat offenders especially feel the full force of the law.”
She added: “The next Scottish Government will need to look again at whether the existing penalty is a strong enough deterrent.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel