KEIGHLEY and Bradford residents have been asked to help make sure rogue traders do not ruin the landscape with fly-tipped household waste.

Bradford Council has warned a large proportion of fly-tipped rubbish comes from unscrupulous firms collecting people’s rubbish with the promise of disposing of it properly, then dumping on the street and in the countryside.

A council spokesman said: "Criminals are undercutting genuine waste disposal businesses and blighting our surroundings.

"Many people aren't aware that if fly-tipped rubbish can be traced back to them they can end up leaving court with a fine, prosecution costs and a criminal record, whether or not they dumped it themselves, or suspected it was going to be dumped.

"Householders have a duty of care by law, which requires them to take reasonable measures to ensure anyone carrying and disposing of their waste is authorised to do so.

"If they employ a waste carrier they must have details of the carrier’s business and vehicle, a receipt for the transaction and a copy of the carrier’s waste licence.

"If they don’t have these, they can be liable for prosecution if the waste is dumped instead of legally disposed of at an authorised site."

Taking advantage of new regulations, Bradford Council is asking for more powers to deal with the problem.

Instead of taking householders to court, which is expensive and time consuming, enforcement officers will be able to issue fixed penalty notices of £250, with a £50 discount for early payment.

Officers will still have powers to issue formal cautions and prosecute people in court for more serious cases. Members of Bradford Council’s executive will be asked to approve the proposal at a meeting on April 2.

The spokesman added: "We want to reduce the amount of rubbish fly-tipped on our streets and in the countryside.

“Money raised by fixed penalty notices will be used to cover the costs of disposing of the waste that's fly-tipped, so the tax payer isn't left to foot the bill."