THE problem of fly-tipping that we are seeing is indeed a national problem, as Coun Bob Wright (Lab, Central) so rightly pointed out in the SA, February 16, 2011, but I feel that he could have elaborated on this a bit more, as ‘every problem has a cause’, just as every ‘action has a reaction’. No one is defending the actions of the fly-tippers, but the real cause has to be councils themselves who in recent years have levied ever higher costs for disposal of each individual household item that one no longer requires.

The problem in the alleyways of the Railway Village may well be improved to a certain extent by the use of CCTV thus preventing some of the antisocial fly-tipping, but it is not practical to fit it in other alleyways all over Swindon, that share much the same problem, with one of the worst fly-tipping areas that spring to mind being the alleyways to the rear of Dean Street and William Street, but I am certain that it is just ‘the tip of the iceberg’ with there being many others.

Much of the blame for the problem must rest with councils up and down the land that have introduced exorbitant costs for the collection of no longer required individual household items, and not withstanding it is only human nature in these austere times to try and cut costs, and additionally not everyone is fortunate enough to have suitable transport to take items to the local tip. Surely the problem is not necessarily due to the laziness of the individuals concerned, but down to the fear of what it is going to cost them, out of perhaps a meagre budget that they unfortunately need to live on.

Much of the problem could be solved by reverting back to the days when the council made a regular ‘free at the point of collection’ service, which would possibly work out to be more cost effective in the long run with the cost being recovered at source, and there would be the additional savings on the cost of CCTV which would not then be necessary. Yes indeed fly-tipping is antisocial, and I would be one of the first to condemn the practice, but there are underlying reasons why the problem has increased over recent years, and it is with regret that I cannot see any improvements to the current unacceptable situation on the horizon, unless councils up and down the land are prepared to have a radical policy rethink and return to the sensible days of collecting household surplus items, with no up front charge, but I fear that there is as much change of this happening, as spotting Lord Lucan riding down my street on the back of Shergar.

(Mr) G A Woodward

Nelson Street

Swindon