PLANS by the government to scrap charges at tips in an attempt to reduce fly-tipping have been met with scepticism in Dorset.

The plans would remove the cost of disposing of DIY waste such as plasterboards or bricks at household recycling centres (HRCs) in the hope that people would be less inclined to fly-tip.

In Dorset it costs £1.50 to dispose of a bag of bricks or rubble and £10 for plasterboard. Dorset Council says charges were brought in to cover costs of processing the materials.

Councillor Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer & Community Services, said that she is unconvinced that the plans will have the desired effect, saying that it will move the costs of processing the materials, which could cost between £250k and £400k each year, onto the public, instead of the few main producers of the waste.

She said most fly-tips are household waste which is already free to dispose of, and larger fly-tips are blamed on rogue traders, whose waste cannot be disposed of at English HRCs regardless. The council says previous charges have had no effect on overall fly-tipping levels.

Cllr Miller added: "We remain sceptical as to whether these proposals would have a significant impact on reducing fly-tipping in our county, or whether they’ll simply increase the financial burden of the general council tax payer and make it easier for rogue traders to abuse our publicly-funded HRCs.

"We’ll continue to monitor these proposals, consider their potential local impact and look at all available data before we can firmly support or oppose these plans."

Mark Tufnell, President of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) on the other hand, is pleased with the plans, but feels that they should go further.

He said: “We have campaigned vigorously for many years against fly-tipping, and we are delighted to see tangible action from Government.

“We welcome funding for local authorities to help tackle the problem, but we must remember that private landowners currently bear the cost of clearing fly tipped waste on their land.

"Although the maximum fine for anyone caught fly-tipping is £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment this is seldom enforced.

"Unless tougher action is taken to combat this kind of rural crime, it will continue to increase."