CALLS have been made for figures on fly-tipping prosecutions to be published.

A Wiltshire Council task group is investigating how the offence is prosecuted as part of a project looking at waste contracts.

Cabinet member for highways Bridget Wayman said: “I want to prosecute where there is evidence as much as possible.”

The number of prosecutions is set to be revealed at the council’s next environment select committee in April. Task group chairman Sven Hocking, said: “We have found that going down the prosecution route is long and bureaucratic and does not act as a deterrent for people. We appreciate the high cost associated with prosecuting and the need for evidence. We think it is better to issue fixed penalty notices instead of warning letters.We had one instance where rubbish was seen, wardrobes and furniture in a garden, and then it was found two streets away. Enforcement officers said even though we had evidence of where it had come from, that was not enough evidence to prosecute. If that is not enough how will we ever get enough evidence to prosecute?”

A Swindon man was fined £400 in October and another was fined £1,230 in August for hiring a freelance fly-tipper who dumped rubbish in a Wiltshire village.