Fly-tipping in Mansfield has gone up by almost 20 cases during lockdown - with residents urged not to have clear-outs at home until recycling centres reopen

With council-run tips currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, residents are being urged not to use the isolation period to have big clear-out at home, and to wait until recycling centres reopen in the future.

Figures released by Mansfield District Council have revealed that there were 116 incidents of fly-tipping since social distancing measures were put in place on March 23 and April 16 – 19 more than over the same dates last year.

Councillor Amanda Fisher, portfolio holder for communities and wellbeing, said: "Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and I have yet to hear of a good excuse for it.

"If you must have a clear-out at the moment, please keep your waste at home until charity shops and waste and recycling centres re-open."Householders have a duty of care to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly."If you are paying for your waste to be taken away, it is your responsibility to check that the person disposing of your waste has a waste carrier's licence. If you don't and it is your waste that ends up on some country lane, it could be you who ends up with a criminal record for the fly tip."The council is still clearing fly tips. They can be reported online at https://www.mansfield.gov.uk/environmental-issues/report-fly-tipping-1. It also has mobile CCTV, some that can be used covertly, at fly tip hotspots.

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