This year, a number of people have been caught littering, fly-tipping or not using a registered waste carrier in North Herts, and the council is continuing to crack down on culprits.

Residents who are having a clear out, finishing home renovations, or thinking about dumping excess rubbish in the New Year, are being warned by North Herts Council against fly-tipping.

The Comet: North Herts Council is cracking down on fly-tipping over ChristmasNorth Herts Council is cracking down on fly-tipping over Christmas (Image: North Herts Council)

You should also be wary of people cold-calling to say they can dispose of your waste. Residents and businesses must check they are using a registered waste disposal operator, or they could be liable for a fine if the waste is dumped instead.

Ian Fullstone, the council's acting head of paid service, said: "Fly-tipping often occurs when rogue waste carriers illegally dump the waste that they collect to avoid proper disposal fees and maximise their profits, unfairly undercutting legitimate businesses.

"We want residents and businesses to be aware of the dangers of using ‘tip run’ style social media adverts in particular. 

"It’s up to all of us to ensure that we use registered operators to dispose of our waste. It takes a few seconds to check online and in addition, legitimate operators will be more than happy to confirm their waste carrier licence number.

"If they can’t or won’t confirm their number, do not use them."

Those prosecuted this year were either issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75 for littering or £400 for fly-tipping.

Penalties can also include a Community Protection Notice, a police caution, prosecution or seized vehicles.

Residents should follow the SCRAP code:

Suspect all waste carriers until they have provided their license.

Check their licence details on the public register for waste carriers.

Refuse unexpected offers to take your waste away.

Ask how your rubbish will be disposed of.

Paperwork - get an invoice or receipt for the waste they're taking - including their contact details.

Ian Fullstone added: "We treat this issue very seriously and work really hard to take action against offenders to keep our towns and villages free from the blight of fly-tipping."

To report fly-tipping, which may lead to the council identifying and finding the perpetrators, go to https://www.north-herts.gov.uk/fly-tipping.