Civic leaders look set to dump plans to buy and install CCTV cameras to catch flytippers in the Cotswolds.
Flytipping is a persistent problem in several areas and officers at Cotswold District Council were asked to look into buying and using overt or covert cameras to aid their efforts in catching and fining the perpetrators.
But a report which will be presented to council leaders next week recommends they should not go ahead with buying any of these recording devices because of costs and potential legal issues.
Officers say using mobile CCTV surveillance has several costs including the purchase of equipment, operation and maintenance, and signage.
Prices for a single camera, hardware and battery can range from £2,500 to £5,000.
But they say there would also be substantial staffing time costs needed to gather and review information.
And there would also be investigatory and legal costs although these could be recovered if a prosecution were successful.
They also say the law relating to the use of surveillance equipment is complex and strict and is different depending on whether overt or covert cameras are being used.
Officers say such measures would be unlikely to succeed unless the council is prepared to fully resource the process from camera deployment to prosecution.
Councillor Julia Judd (Con, Ermin), who seconded the motion by Tony Berry (Con, Kemble) in January which asked the council to look into buying and using the cameras, said she was very disappointed with the recommendation.
“I would like to look into this further to see if there is a way around this,” she said.
“We know there are hotspots and we also know who the culprits are but we need the proof.
“A lot of it comes from the towns and Gloucester and Cheltenham.
“We are beginning to catch a few people and we have a fantastic flytipping officer at Cotswold District Council.”
Officers say the council has already invested £105,000 in extra staffing over the past three years and £200,000 has been spent on their ‘clean and green’ initiative to be able to investigate fly tips in detail and take action against those responsible.
Their recommendation to the Liberal Democrat cabinet is to not support the provision of overt or covert CCTV to support flytipping prosecutions but continue with the present approach to investigating flytipping.
Cabinet will consider the issue at their meeting on Monday, November 1.
By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter