A NEW innovative system is being used by a local council to help catch illegal waste dumpers more effectively.

Calderdale Council has launched an interactive map allowing people to drop a pin on a specific location where they have spotted fly-tipping.

This registers a report and instantly alerts the relevant officers to the issue and allows the council to see "hot spots", so efforts can be directed to these areas.

This could even mean catching the culprits in action.

The map system also allows other residents to see where issues have already been reported, minimising duplication and reducing the risk of manpower hours being used to investigate the same problem separately.

The new technology has been implemented after the council began looking for a more streamlined approach to dealing with fly-tipping, particularly given the limited resources available.

Between January and the end of March this year, Calderdale Council received more than1000 reports of waste being dumped.

In each case the report is investigated and evidence collected to find the culprits, making it a time-consuming and costly crime.

The new mapping system is boosted by the purchase of new camera technology.

Calderdale Council has bought several new devices which can be deployed to problem areas.

The cameras are already being put to good use to help tackle littering issues.

In its first weekend of use, one of the devices caught an individual throwing litter from their vehicle in a layby on Timmey Lane, Sowerby Bridge.

The individual was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for the offence of littering.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Councillor Jenny Lynn, said: “The illegal dumping of waste negatively impacts our local communities and blights our beauty spots.

"We do all we can to tackle the problem and have been proactively looking for ways we can improve our processes and our actions to prevent this crime.

“We really value the contributions of local residents and as the eyes and ears on the ground they can help spot instances of fly tipping.

"We’ve launched a new interactive map to help streamline the reporting process and provide a better and faster way for reports to reach our community wardens so we can react more quickly to any issues.

“Ideally we want to prevent the waste being dumped in the first place and our new map will also highlight particular problem areas and allow us to use additional measures to deter potential fly tippers or catch them in the act and issue enforcement – serious offenders could face a fine of £50,000 or up to five years in prison.

“We simply won’t tolerate this selfish crime and will continue to crack down on the problem and identify those responsible.”

The map is available at: calderdalecouncil.custhelp.com/app/fly_tipping,

For more information about the laws around fly tipping and for advice on how to dispose of waste responsibly, visit: calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/community-and-living/clean-streets/fly-tipping