Lockdown opened the doors to a surge in fly-tipping in the Broxburn area according to figures released by the council’s local Neighbourhood Enforcement Team.
And councillors have asked if there are any links to the recycling centres being closed by the Covid outbreak in March.
Eirwen Hopwood, Neighbourhood Officer for the council gave the Broxburn, Uphall and Winchbugh Local Area Committee an update on fly-tipping over the lockdown.
There were 167 incidents reported between February and September, compared with 130 for the same period last year.
Year on year the council is facing a growing problem. In the Broxburn LAC area the number of incidents has risen from 98 in 2015 to 188 for the last full year, 2019.
Council staff had identified regular tipping sites and now plan surveillance of these hotspots.
In her report to the committee Eirwen said: “Despite the movement restrictions imposed by the Government in a bid to tackle the spread of the virus, Enforcement Officers still managed to cover some enforcement as they liaised with other teams on the ground (essential workers) to retrieve information of environmental crime committers.
“There have been 167 enquiries in relation to fly tipping for the period which has shown a significant increase in fly tipping offences during the lockdown.
“Some fly tipping hotspots have been identified within the ward with plans which will enable the deployment of overt surveillance getting finalised.”
Councillor Diane Calder wondered if there was a link between the increase between the rise and the closure of the recycling centres because of the lockdown.
She also asked the team if they could quantify the rising costs of clearing up after the tipping incidents.
