The Council’s recent 4-week trial of CCTV cameras opposite the black bins at Porchester Terrace has led to no fixed penalty notices and no prosecutions, according to a Council report.

The Council report says that Officers conducted an overt CCTV trial at the Big Black Bin and recycling sites at Porchester Terrace over a 4-week period. The temporary equipment was installed onto a lamp post directly opposite the Big Black Bin site. The trial was overt, with the camera’s remaining white in colour and clear CCTV signage placed in and around the area. Residents in the area were notified prior to the installation of the CCTV equipment and the intention of the trial. The equipment was fitted with Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) to help identify any vehicles used to transport and dump waste in the area.

In summary, the findings revealed:

• All offenders were on foot and carrying what appeared to be residential waste
• No commercial waste was dumped in the area
• A number of repeat offenders were identified
• No vehicles were used to transport and dump waste
• On many occasions those carrying waste made no attempt to lift the lid of the bins and place the waste inside. Instead waste was left on the footpath next to the bins, and this in turn attracted other people to leave their waste next to or on top of waste already deposited.
• Waste dumped at the site often included items that were too big to be placed in the bin including cardboard boxes, bulky items such as bedframes, and DIY waste from residential properties.
• Some individuals were witnessed disrupting the waste and taking items out of the bins.

The Council say:

“It was intended that the images collated from the CCTV would help with the identification of offenders to support enforcement. However, whilst there are clear images of offenders, officers were unable to identify them from the image alone. Without an available enforcement officer also being at the site immediately following the offence, identification of the offender cannot be obtained.”

As a result:

• There were no Fixed Penalty Notices issued against offenders during the trial.
• There are currently no waste prosecutions as a result of the trial.