Plea for people of Plymouth to help tackle 'ridiculous' fly-tipping in the city

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People in Plymouth are being warned they face hefty fines for littering and fly-tipping as the council gets tough on cleaning up the streets.

City leaders say it is unacceptable to dump bulky items on the side of the road - and they want residents to submit video footage of anyone caught in the act.

Since the local elections in May, when Plymouth City Council switched from Labour to Conservative control, more than 100 fines have been handed out for littering and fly-tipping.

In June two men were caught on CCTV throwing rubbish out of a car window. They were prosecuted and fined more than £1,000 each.

Other recent examples include a £200 fine for dumping a broken sofa; £400 for leaving electrical items on the street; and £100 for a large box left between two recycling bins.

The council has invested in 13 new 4G cameras across the city - but the streets around Mutley Plain, a particular hotspot, do not have coverage, so residents are being asked to help out.

Cllr Maddi Bridgeman, cabinet member for environment and street scene, said: "If someone sees someone littering, and they are prepared to take a video, we really need the public to come forward with dashcam footage, CCTV, and actually provide evidence because we are very keen to prosecute.

"We have absolutely zero tolerance. We want a clean, green Plymouth and it's up to the public to help us to achieve that."

Cllr Bridgeman says fly-tipping is one of the issues which prompts the most complaints from people across the city.

"It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous," she said.

"Why just dump things in a back lane and expect the council to pick it up? Everyone is responsible for the environment they are living in."

Independent councillor Andrea Johnson, who represents the Mutley area, said: "I feel really disappointed when I see the mess that is dumped in the back alleys, because it is an everyday occurrence

"I know just how upset it makes my residents feel about the areas they live in. I am upset, I am frustrated and I am angry."

In recent weeks the service lanes around Mutley have been littered with abandoned fridges, sofas, armchairs and piles of black bin bags.

Cllr Johnson said: "I cannot escape fly-tipping because I am passing it every day. I'm constantly aware I need to report it, I need to get it removed, so it makes me really sad."