Fly-tipping is damaging and illegal activity. Clean Kent is committed to watching, catching and prosecuting fly-tippers.

Clean Kent and local authorities are cracking down on fly-tipping with excellent results. Some recent high profile examples include prosecutions against serial fly-tippers Yarlett and Dighton. Both were caught following investigations involving Clean Kent and the BBC Rogue Traders programme. During 2008 to date, Clean Kent has brought 18 fly-tippers to court for committing environmental crimes in Kent with further cases pending.

If you witness fly-tipping or fly-tipped rubbish, any information you can provide will greatly assist in the fight against this illegal activity. To assist investigations it would be helpful if you could record all or some of the following details and report immediately. All information is valuable to us and will be treated confidentially:

• Please record all details immediately and keep safe (e.g. vehicle registration, person description)
• If you can take photos (e.g. camera phones) please do so
• Do not approach any individuals and do not put yourself in any danger
• If you witness fly-tipping in progress, please phone the police on 999 to report the details. This information will then be passed to Clean Kent for investigation.
• If you have any information about those who commit fly-tipping offences, please call call 0845 345 0210 or email clean.kent@kent.gov.uk
• You can also call the Environment Agency 24 hour reporting line (0800 807060) for large-scale fly-tipping (multiple vehicle loads)
• If using a tradesperson or having rubbish removed as a householder, the law now states that you could be held responsible and fined if it is fly-tipped.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

• Ask the waste removal service / tradesperson for their waste carrier licence number
• Check their waste carrier licence number or their company name by visiting the Clean Kent website and following the link to the Environment Agency; call the Environment Agency on 0870 850 6506; or visit Buy With Confidencefor details of businesses vetted and approved by Trading Standards
• Keep a note of all the information that you receive from the contractor and a receipt for any work done. If they are not registered don’t use them - inform Clean Kent of the trader immediately by calling 0845 345 0210