TWO people from Ellesmere Port have been prosecuted following separate flytipping incidents in the town.

Emma McBurney, from Hargrave Drive, was fined £250 and ordered to pay court costs of £532 for illegally dumping household waste in an alleyway.

In a separate offence, Michael Taylor, of Robin Close, was fined £120 and told to pay £282 costs.

Taylor had arranged for waste to be removed by someone using Facebook as he didn't have a car to take it to the household waste recycling centre.

The individual paid to carry out the removal wasn't licensed and Taylor hadn't checked if a licence was held.

The magistrate said this was a failure in his duty of care and was in essence negligent.

Cheshire West and Chester Council says it costs the authority around £600,000 a year to clear litter and fly-tipped waste.

Councillor Karen Shore, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, said: "Flytipping has an effect on everyone, it is a blight on communities and spoils the look of our neighbourhoods.

"It is damaging to our environment, it can present a hazard to road users and wildlife and it costs money to clear up, it's also an eye sore that shouldn't be happening.

"We all have a duty to ensure our waste is disposed of properly and we will seek to prosecute all flytippers. If you are allowing a third party to remove your waste, please ensure you check that they carry a Waste Carriers licence.

"Please help us tackle this problem and report inconsiderate flytippers, who still think they can dispose of rubbish wherever they want causing problems for residents and adding unnecessary pressure on council services."

Residents have a duty of care to ensure that all household waste is properly disposed of.

If you pay someone to take away your waste always check that they have a valid Waste Carriers Licence by contacting the Environment Agency directly (08708 506 506) and asking for a waste carrier validation check, or check online yourself on the Environment Agency website.

Reporting flytipping is now much easier and quicker with the introduction of a new Cheshire West and Chester Council app.

All it involves is just four simple steps:

  • Pinpoint the location on a map.
  • Take a photo of the flytip.
  • Select a category.
  • Provide more information and submit.

The report is then sent directly to the appropriate service to be dealt with.The app also has a built in ‘Report it log’ which allows residents to check the status of each of their reports.