Street litter

The Government provides guidance on how quickly places should be cleaned. The response time reflects the type of area and how badly littered it is. For example, a faster response time would apply to a heavily littered town centre than a slightly littered residential street.

Town and village centre areas, together with other heavily used areas, such as by local shops are cleaned daily, most other areas are cleaned weekly. All other streets in Spelthorne are cleaned at least once every 60 working days.

It is a criminal offence, which can result in a fine of up to £2,500. The Council has powers to require certain types of businesses to reduce the effects of litter attributable to them. More information on the laws controlling litter is available on the EnCams web site (www.encams.org) (external website).

To report a littered area, please telephone 01784 446411 or complete our online form.

Litter bins

There are about 450 street litter bins in Spelthorne. Depending on the location, they are emptied either every day or once a week. Litter bins should not be used for the disposal of household refuse or trade waste. To report a damaged or overflowing litter bin contact Streetscene on 01784 446411 or complete our online form.

Mechanical sweeping

The road channels (gutters) of most kerbed roads are swept every 20 days to remove any grit, litter and general dirt. We sweep more frequently during autumn to clear the leaves. In some roads the effectiveness of sweeping is limited by parked cars. To report problems with sweeping of gutters or leaves contact Streetscene on 01784 446411 or complete our online form.

Drug related litter

Occasionally syringes and other items relating to drug abuse are improperly discarded. Priority is given to the removal of these items. To report discarded syringes please call Streetscene on 01784 446411, giving as much information as possible.

Fly tipping

We treat this problem very seriously and will prosecute anyone who is caught. Please remember that:

fly tipping carries a fine of up to £50,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment
a serious case that goes to Crown Court carries an unlimited fine and a prison term of up to five years
if you give permission for fly tipping to occur on land you are responsible for, you will be open to investigation and prosecution
if you give waste to another person for disposal you must check if that person is authorised to carry waste and where the waste is going. If the waste is subsequently fly tipped you will be open to investigation and prosecution
if you are the registered keeper of a vehicle used for fly tipping, you can be prosecuted. This means that it is possible for a prosecution to occur when only the vehicle, not the driver, is identifiable.

If you see any dumped rubbish, please give as much information as possible about the type and quantity of waste and its location to Streetscene on 01784 446411 or complete our online form.

Preventing fly tipping

Remember that large items of waste can be taken away by our special refuse collection.

If you give waste to anyone else ensure they are authorised to carry it. Ask for their carrier's authorisation. You can check online at www2.environment-agency.gov.uk/epr (external website) or by telephone 08708 506506.

Ask where the waste is going. Use the waste directory online to check legitimate sites - www.wastedirectory.org.uk (external website)

Ask for a receipt detailing where the waste is going, vehicle details, carriers authorisation number - this is a legal obligation if you are in business but is good practice if you are a private householder. If you are a business and need to know more about protecting your environment use Netregs online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/netregs (external website)

Can the waste be taken by the Council special refuse collection for large items.

Reporting fly tipped material

Contact 01784 446411.

Material dumped on private land is the land owner’s responsibility and you will need to clear the waste, however we will investigate and if possible prosecute the person responsible for the deposit.

Information about large fly tipped waste may be forwarded to the Environment Agency.

Witnessing fly tipping

If you witness fly tipping or fly tipped rubbish; any information that you can provide will greatly assist us in our fight against this illegal activity.

To assist investigations it would be helpful if you could record the details and report them immediately. All information is valuable to us and will be treated confidentially. If you can take photos (e.g. camera phones) please do so.

Remember: do not approach any individuals and do not put yourself in any danger.

Any or all of the following information will be useful:

date and time that you saw the fly tippers in action or discovered the rubbish
location of the incident - address or local landmarks
a description of the rubbish e.g. builders rubble
how many people did you see?
did you recognise any of them?
can you describe them? (e.g. sex, hair colour, height, distinguishing features)
what did you actually see these people do?
was there a vehicle involved – make, model, colour, registration number?
were there any distinguishing features or signs on the vehicle?
where were you when you saw the fly tipping: what kind of view did you have? How far away were you? Weather and light conditions.

Remember - don't put yourself at risk!