North West Leicestershire residents are being warned to be careful with their waste - as a crackdown on fly-tipping gets underway.

The Leicestershire Waste Partnership has launched a campaign to prevent people illegally dumping waste.

It says that even if you pay someone to take rubbish away, if they are not licensed then it could still be fly-tipped and people could be landed with fines.

The 'It's All Fly-Tipping' campaign is being backed by North West Leicestershire District Council which is part of the partnership.

Cllr Michael Wyatt, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at NWLDC, said: "Fly-tipping is totally unacceptable and is a problem that's not only plaguing our district but also across the county.

"We receive a lot of reports and have a zero-tolerance approach so if we catch you fly-tipping, we will fine or prosecute and seek the maximum penalty.

"This campaign is a great opportunity to remind people to check that their waste is being disposed of responsibly and put an end to the blight it has on our communities.

"We'd encourage anyone that witnesses fly-tipping in the district to report it to us online at www.nwleics.gov.uk so we can investigate."

Photo © Richardjohnsonuk | Dreamstime.com

The consequences for fly-tipping can range from a £400 fixed penalty notice to an unlimited fine, a criminal record or time in prison.

Councils across Leicestershire deal with over 12,000 fly-tips each year.

Each authority investigates fly-tips in their area and when enough evidence is recovered, action is taken.

'It's All Fly-Tipping' focuses on reminding people who may be thinking about dumping their waste that they are being watched.

It also highlights the issue of paying someone who is operating without a waste licence to take waste away and it being fly tipped. People have a legal responsibility to check the person taking their waste away is a registered waste carrier.

People can visit the Environment Agency website to check that traders and businesses hold the correct waste licence or ask the carrier for their certificate before handing the waste over.

More information about the campaign can be found on the Leicestershire Waste Partnership website where they can also read stories of four characters – based on real people who have been caught fly-tipping in the past.

The examples show that people can be caught for all sorts of reasons, from putting a fridge on the pavement to dumping bags by a local recycling bank.

People can visit lesswaste.org.uk/flytipping and follow the campaign on social media using the hashtag #ItsAllFlyTipping.