CAMERAS could be used as part of the fight against fly-tipping in Wrexham, with fines issued to anyone found responsible for dumping rubbish.

The potential move was revealed by Cllr David A Bithell, deputy leader of Wrexham Council, after he hit out at offenders for making parts of the county borough look untidy.

The local authority’s portfolio holder for the environment has been working with officers to identify hot spots in the area, with an estimated 1,000 tonnes of discarded litter currently having to be collected each year.

He said talks had been held with council leader Mark Pritchard about the possibility of installing cameras in problems areas to catch people in the act and give them a fixed penalty notice.

In the past, the number of times the authority has taken legal action against offenders through the courts has been minimal, but Cllr Bithell said it was hoped the new strategy would improve the situation.

Speaking at a media briefing held yesterday (Tuesday, 5 January), he said: “What I can’t understand is people who choose to drive down the lane, three or four miles down the road to dump stuff on the side of the road.

“We’re going to target these individuals by placing cameras and to try and issue fixed penalty notices.

“What I would ask the public to do in the meantime, is if they see fly tipping to report it to the council via the normal procedure.

“Don’t touch the waste. Let our officers go and see if we can gather evidence from the waste, whether it’s a name and address or whatever.

“That gives us an opportunity then to prosecute, but rather than prosecute and taking that route, I think the best route is a fixed penalty notice.”

Senedd Members approved giving councils the power to issue fines of £300 to people caught dumping rubbish back in 2019, with an early payment clause of £150.

Authorities were told at the time that they could keep the receipts to contribute towards the costs of dealing with fly-tipping.

Council leader Pritchard said he had recently taken part in a litter pick in Rhostyllen, the community which he represents, where eight bags of rubbish were collected.

During the pick, the independent councillor said the group came across two people who had just witnessed someone throwing rubbish onto the side of the road.

He said: “We were walking down towards the A483 and we bumped into two local people who said that they just witnessed a car driving very slowly, throwing four bin bags out of their car into the hedgerow.

“I think it’s about 1,000 tonnes a year we pick up from fly-tipping.

“I’ll make it clear for me as an individual, if there’s the evidence there then we will prosecute.

“It’s unacceptable and it’s something I dislike with a passion.”

Cllr Bithell said a report would be brought back to councillors in the near future on the proposals.