Several thousand fly-tipping incidents have been reported to South Lanarkshire Council in the past two years.
New stats showed that South Lanarkshire was the sixth worst area in Scotland for fly-tipping from November 2018 through until November 2020.
A total of 6,252 cases were reported to the local authority, although they could not confirm if any of the incidents then were referred to the procurator fiscal.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats carried out the research and found that a total of 127,625 reports of fly-tipping were flagged to local authorities across Scotland in the past two years but only 12 nationwide were referred to the Procurator Fiscal.
They also discovered that there was an increase in fly-tipping reports during 2020, reaching a peak of 6,994 reports in July, while Glasgow City Council reported the highest number of incidents with 44,190 over the two years.
Neighbouring North Lanarkshire was almost twice as bad as South Lanarkshire, hitting 11,274 cases.
Rutherglen South councillor Robert Brown welcomed the research, and called for a council campaign to tackle the issue at grass roots level.
He said: “There is no excuse for fly-tipping – it fouls up some local areas just because people are too selfish to dispose of rubbish properly. The Eastfield Waste Disposal Centre has been open throughout most of the pandemic.
“It may be necessary for the Scottish Government to increase the powers available to provide a speedier substantial penalty for fly-tipping because the courts currently have a considerable backlog after the pandemic.
“I am sure most people would agree that the problems of litter, fly-tipping and dog fouling have all got worse during the lockdown. I have suggested that the council should look at a concentrated campaign later in the spring, once Covid restrictions ease, to get on top of the issue again.
“It is important to harness the local community councils and other community groups, both formal and informal, on this. There is scope for litter-picking initiatives in local areas and for the use of the Community Payback Teams.”
The Reformer has regularly reported on fly-tipping issues, particularly in parts of Cambuslang, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Shirley Clelland, head of fleet and environmental services at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “We investigate all incidents of fly-tipping and where evidence is found action is taken. Where there is proof beyond reasonable doubt that the alleged offender is liable for the fly-tipping we will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.
“In the event of more serious offences and repeat offenders if there is clear evidence of who is liable we will report them to the Procurator Fiscal. This would include incidents of large volumes of waste being dumped and organised criminal activity.
“The council takes fly-tipping of any type seriously and I would urge members of the public to report such incidents to Environmental Services through the council’s website at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk, or alternatively on 0303 123 1015. Any information that can help to identify individuals involved in fly-tipping will be treated in confidence.”
