Fly-tipping initiative backed by councillor in Southampton

In a bid to reduce fly-tipping in Newtown, Southampton City Council launched a campaign that sees street cleansing crews apply temporary chalk stencils on pavements immediately after clearing fly-tipped waste.

The council has said the stencils highlight where waste was dumped and will serve as a “visible reminder that dumping waste is not acceptable.”

Bevois ward councillor, and first Lord Mayor of Southampton, Jacqui Rayment, told the Echo the scheme had been “successful” elsewhere and she was “happy to try it” in the city.

She said: “Newton has a huge fly-tipping issue that we have tried numerous times to solve.

“A high-density area with many shared properties relates to a lot of waste.

“This project has been successful elsewhere, so I’m more than happy to try it.

“The council clears more fly-tipping from this area than any other part of the city.

“It will mean cooperation from the residents. Many know who are doing this and can easily report online and order a bulk waste collection.

“We are looking at many new ideas to see how we help people dispose of their stuff properly.”

Cllr Jacqui Rayment(Image: Southampton Labour)

READ MORE: Southampton council scheme to fight fly-tipping hotspot

The council backed scheme comes after 23 tonnes of waste was cleared from Newtown alone in July.

Trustee of the Gurdwara Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib on St Marks Road in Newtown, Narinder Singh, said he was “furious” at the amount of fly-tipped waste in the area and that “we need to take more pride in the community.”

He added: “The council and Balfour Beatty have done us a real favour, and it feels like the Newtown community have thrown it back in their faces by continuing to fly-tip. 

"Not only is it an eyesore but the mountains of rubbish attract rats and maggots - I feel deeply let down by the community and I know we can do better.”

Alongside the stencilling scheme, the council is also working with local volunteers to monitor known hotspot locations.