TWO community litter pickers from County Durham have hit out at the “scourge” of fly-tipping taking over their town after experiencing first-hand the impact that dumping rubbish is having on rural and agricultural communities.

For the last several years, husband and wife team Janet and Phil Atkinson have embarked on a weekly litter pick in Stanley, attempting to make the town a better place.

Despite spending their own time ridding their local area of litter, the couple are currently becoming frustrated at the amount of fly-tipping and car users dumping rubbish at the roadside.  

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The Atkinsons have been provided with bin sacks, pickers, hoops, and the ability to report incidents to Durham County Council.

However, after spotting hundreds of pieces of rubbish – they now believe that an approach must be taken that will focus on prosecutions, fines, and public shaming.

Speaking about the issues facing them, Mrs Atkinson said: “Everyone seems to have forgotten the grassroots approach and there seems to be no definitive way of stopping those ignorant people who don’t care.

The Northern Echo: Two community litter pickers have called for public shaming for those that choose to fly-tip. Picture: JANET ATKINSON. Two community litter pickers have called for public shaming for those that choose to fly-tip. Picture: JANET ATKINSON.

“There is little or no publicity of prosecutions or fines for tipping or littering. Innocent farmers and landowners have people unlawfully dumping fridges, black sacks, and all kinds of rubbish on their land.

“They then must take time to clear their land and of course there is the cost it incurs. If rubbish is dumped on one side of a fence it’s the local council responsibility. On the farmers' side the problem becomes theirs.

“I’m not sure if the local authority, alerted by the public through the online portal, even notify the landowners making them aware.”

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Now that they have ‘shone a light’ on the issue, the couple now want to focus on working on “beating the fly-tippers” by setting up cameras in Stanley but have also called on Durham County Council for help.

Mrs Atkinson added: “We choose to litter pick and enjoy it. We feel like by keeping on top of roadside litter, we are preventing hedgerows from becoming clogged when items get blown about, looking unsightly and discouraging nature and wildlife.

“Our area is a typical small town that is dying but the outskirts have beautiful walks, scenery and breath-taking views and sunsets.

The Northern Echo: The Atkinsons have found numerous bits of rubbish stuck in hedges in recent times, including fridges, black bags and general fly-tipping. Picture: JANET ATKINSON.The Atkinsons have found numerous bits of rubbish stuck in hedges in recent times, including fridges, black bags and general fly-tipping. Picture: JANET ATKINSON.

“We feel so strongly about the unnecessary destruction. Local councillors understand the need for improvement, but the existing systems appear to make it too hard to eradicate/prevent these unlawful dumps.

“Data protection negates using cameras efficiently and signs are destroyed vandalised or ignored.

“I have seen only today roadside dumps from households recycling glass/can bins and general waste bins containing used nappies.”

In response to the issue of fly-tipping, Durham County Council have claimed that it dealt with 775 fixed-penalty notices last year, while also committing to "keeping the county a beautiful place". 

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Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “Our county is a beautiful place to live, work and visit and we share the same aim as our communities in keeping it clean and litter free.

“We have neighbourhood wardens dedicated to tackling flytipping. Between April and December last year, we issued 775 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for littering.

"We have also seen an increase in the number of vehicles seized and prosecutions going to court, with successful prosecutions regularly publicised in order to deter others.

Mr Hoult added: “There really is no excuse not to dispose of waste properly and we would encourage people to be responsible.

"Unwanted items can be taken to one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres or residents can book a bulky waste collection.

"We would also encourage anyone who has information about a flytipping incident to report it so that we can take action.”

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