Norfolk council blames 'white van men' for fly-tipping

And a leading county councillor said "white van men" were the ones behind fly-tipping, rather than general members of the public.

Norfolk County Council leaders say fly-tipping will not surge if recycling centres shut once a week and a booking system is introduced (Image: Nick Butcher)

Conservative-controlled Norfolk County Council has proposed shutting the 19 tips it runs on Wednesdays to save £200,000 each year, as part of £52m cuts and savings.

They also want to bring in timeslots people have to book so they can get rid of rubbish at tips - to save a further £200,000 each year.

Booked time slots could be introduced at Norfolk's recycling centres (Image: Archant © 2012)

The government last week announced the county council, which will set its budget next month, will get a share of some £500m of extra money earmarked to assist authorities.

The council will not know until next week just how much it will get, but councillors have said they will push ahead with consultation over changes to its recycling centres, as they need to find recurring savings.

READ MORE: Tippers dump enough waste to fill two bin lorries in layby

Eric Vardy, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for environment (Image: Supplied by the Conservatives)

Critics have said the changes will increase fly-tipping, but Eric Vardy, the council's cabinet member for environment and waste, said the evidence did not back up such claims.

At a recent meeting of the council's cabinet, Mr Vardy said 12pc of the 1.5m visits to the county's tips each year were on Wednesdays - the least busy day of the week.

He said: "People have said that it will have an impact on fly-tipping and the world will end with fly-tipping, but there's no evidence of this.

"Where closures have taken place elsewhere, there's been absolutely no evidence - no correlation between closures or changing practices and fly-tipping.

"We all know who the fly-tippers are - the white van men, as they say. We have seen evidence of that and they are prosecuted by the districts whenever they are caught."

Recycling centres could be shut once a week (Image: Archant)

Mr Vardy said where booked time slots had been introduced in other areas, they had received an "overall positive response".

Consultation over the change will start in the coming weeks, with the council due to set its budget next month.

Council leaders also said they were continuing to plan that budget based on the maximum council tax rise possible without need for a referendum - 4.99pc.