Act now to stop waste 'scourge'
FLY-TIPPING has long been a blight on our city – and now another culprit has been brought to justice.
Stephen Saint, a serial fly-tipper who dumped waste in lanes, industrial estates and even the gardens of empty homes for profit, has been jailed for just over a year.
His prison sentence may not seem long, but the important thing is it is prison, and one hopes this sends out a clear message that fly-tippers can expect to feel the force of the law.
But the deeper issue is the time and effort it takes to bring environmental vandals like Saint to the courts.
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As the authority responsible for keeping our city free of rubbish, the council must carry the weight of Saint's actions and those of others like him who don't care about the damage they cause to our city.
And the weight is heavy. The council has told us it spent £159,592 last year clearing up after fly-tippers. It recorded a shocking 3,792 incidents. Part of the problem is the difficulty of obtaining evidence for a prosecution.
That is why it is essential that we all play our part in the fight against what Judge Paul Darlow described as the 'scourge' of dumping waste. We can report it where we see it, and we can also blow the whistle on anyone we think is dumping waste like Saint.
As a footnote, contrast Saint's actions with litter-picking champion Michael Gibson, who we featured in Thursday's Herald. At aged 87, he's on a mission to clear rubbish.
It's people like him that are the real saints here.
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