AUTOMATIC number plate readers could soon be used across Hertsmere to crackdown on fly-tippers.

Hertsmere Council – in conjunction with St Albans District Council – has applied for funds to help identify who dumps the waste on their land.

And it is just one of the measures – including CCTV and cameras and awareness campaigns – being used to reduce fly-tipping in the area.

A group of councillors, led by Cllr Martin Worster, have just conducted a ‘scrutiny review’ into fly-tipping in the borough.

And on Wednesday they presented their recommendations to the Operations Review Committee.

They have recommended that action is taken to make it easier to report fly-tipping through the council website and that cameras and CCTV continue to be used.

They also want officers to organise an Environment Action Day and to investigate the use of ‘community skips’ to tackle seasonal-tipping or fly-tipping hotspots.

And they want builders, developers or residents who are granted planning permission to be reminded of their responsibility to dispose of waste responsibly.

According to the review mattresses and furniture are the items most likely to be dumped in urban areas of the district – but in more rural areas it tends to be mixed builders waste and tree cuttings.

It suggests that in some cases it reflects people with too much waste to fit in their bin.

But in other cases, it is believed to be as a result of organised criminal activity, where people have touted for trade as waste disposal providers.

According to the review, fly-tipping most commonly occurs at service roads in Shenley Road, Manor Way service area and the recycling area in Kemp Place Car Park – where it’s the responsibility of private landlords to clean up.

But as part of the review, councillors also looked at data from 2016/17, that showed there had been 164 fly-tipping incidents on council land.

The data showed that in 80 incidents – that’s almost half – the site was not used a second time, making preventative measures difficult.

But it did identify some fly-tipping hotspots.

During the 12-month period outlined in the report the highest number of incidents (11) were recorded at the Aycliffe/Leeming Road Shopping Parade.

And there were 10 incidents each reported at Cranes Way Garages and at the Howard Drive Shopping Parade.

On average it costs the council £146 to dispose of the waste following each incident – costing a total £24,000 in total over the 2016/17 period.

“Our research demonstrated that fly-tipping was unpredictable and costly to tackle,” says the scrutiny report.

“We found ourselves reassured by the level of service provided by the Council regarding fly-tipping, and we hope our recommendations will further support Officers in dealing with a very challenging area.”

The scrutiny review will be presented to a meeting of Hertsmere Council’s Executive on July 25.