We've been caught fly-tipping. Now what?

[NameChangeSake797]

The council field behind our house hasn't been farmed for at least seven years as it's got planning permission for houses. Houses aren't due to be built for a couple of years at least (it's all been very underhanded and our small village will double in size).

Anyho, we've been doing a fair amount of gardening recently with us trying to make our garden more child friendly. We've been putting grass cuttings/general garden waste just over our boundary into the field. We've also had a couple of trees cut down/brambles cleared and we decided to 'distribute' the brambles/branches over the field to stop the brambles growing back (there's already loads of brambles growing in the overgrown field) and for the branches not to stop us from being able to access the field (quite often walk the dogs out that way etc).

We know it's technically classed as fly-tipping, we've never littered in our whole lives and generally believe us to be law abiding citizens. We thought of it being bit of a victimless crime as by the time houses come to be built it will just be compost. It's also snowballed into a false sense of security from throwing over the grass clippings for the last couple of years to dragging out a dead bush.

However one neighbour decided to film/photograph us distributing the garden waste across the field. We can only presume this is because she's going to report us to the council for fly tipping.

Can we just bring all the garden waste back into our garden therefore there's no actual 'evidence' or call the council/speak to the neighbour to apologise profusely? This happened at the weekend and we're actually scared shitless of what's going to happen. Neither of us have ever dealt with the police and the possibility of getting a criminal record/going to court/large fine is causing us sleepless nights.

Call them an explain that it's temporary and you will remove it then do so

Clean it up, problem solved.

Where I live flytipping is a real issue, furniture, rubbish, fridges, cookers, prams - you name it.

People complain, its eventually removed, Ive never known any one be prosecuted.

I wouldnt worry - unless you are dumping industrial, poisonous waste, I really can’t see the council wasting money on a load of grass cuttings thrown into an overgrown which aren’t causing an obstruction.

However, grass cuttngs are one thing, bits of tree and branches are another. I have tree stumps on my allotment as part of a ‘feature’ they are at least 5 years old and show no signs of composting. You should be taking that stuff to the tip

DP reckons we've still 'committed the crime' and there's evidence for us to be off the hook.

We are going to attempt to get it all back in (it's bloody hard as it's all over grown out there!) but we're still expecting a knock at the door from some council inspector. We can't relax. Bloody idiots for being lazy and not taking it to the tip (we didn't want to trash our car) but also i'm slightly miffed at the busy body - might get her a crossword book to keep her entertained in the future.

Why would you do that how odd....do you like vermin making its home at the end of your garden? It's awful to look at too.

Your neighbour should be grateful that you didn't burn it all in a large bonfire - that's what mine do (filling our garden with unhealthy, polluting smoke particles in the process).

Are you friendly with the neighbour who was filming or taking pics?

If it’s any consolation I had similar many, many years ago. A neighbour was miffed at me for calling the police about her husband who used to speed in and out of our street (he did this because he thought children playing out were a nuisance and almost hit a little boy) so she took photos of me taking some cuttings to the waste ground behind our houses that was due to be built on. I don’t think she realised that I knew the local councillor who took me aside and said not to worry, the council didn’t have the time or the inclination to follow this up, but to not do it again as technically it was fly tipping. They saved their resources for the fly tippers who dumped whole lorry loads of stuff.

Im not saying that what I did was right although I was not aware at that point I was classed as fly tipping, but hopefully your council will take the same approach.

This is what our (different) neighbour bloody well does!! Last year he cut down ten conifers and burnt the lots over the course of a few lovely summer evenings - the ash covered everywhere!

Grass clippings is one thing, but you can’t be chucking actually chunks of wood out. Why not go to the dump? They take garden waste and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Just lazy? Entitled?

However one neighbour decided to film/photograph us distributing the garden waste across the field.

What do you mean by distributing? Did you throw a load of brambles over a back fence, or is this more elaborate than that, if you can’t collect it back?

Fly tipping in general makes me so cross but your case sounds like a ridiculous thing to make a fuss about. What a busy body! Clean it up and move on and never trust that neighbour! I doubt you'll get in trouble.

I think @Ted27 is correct OP. For what it’s worth a friend of mine reported someone for fly tipping Japanese Knotweed cuttings onto a green area near where she lives. The council couldn’t have cared less and did nothing about it. So I think you will be OK OP. Plus you don’t know that neighbour was really filming you. It could have been a bluff? The soft cuttings will soon wilt down in the field. I am sure that you have learned your lesson moving forward that stuff needs to go to the tip. It’s only because you are law abiding that you are beating yourselves up about this.

We’ve had people dumping grass clippings, hedge clippings, dead tree branches and huge mounds of pulled up weeds and forget me nots. Dumping things on someone elses land is never victimless, how happy would you be if your neighbour was throwing their garden waste into your garden?

Does your council area have a garden waste bin service you can use once you have retrived your fly tip? Also, if you want to make compost, buy a composter for the garden.

We've also had a couple of trees cut down/brambles cleared and we decided to 'distribute' the brambles/branches over the field

That's unreasonable CF behaviour, and neither of your excuses justifies it.

Walking around a field dragging wood and brambles and “distributing them” must be more work than just chucking it all in the cad and going to the dump.

It's more so the brambles so they don't take root on our boundary/garden again. We were also trying to be half decent people to prevent them taking root in the other gardens too. There's almost a footpath (it's not official just a few of us walk out that way) and we didn't want brambles taking over the 'path' either.

As for the branches (we're not talking whole mature trees here) are sitting in positions that the housing developer won't touch for at least a couple of years.

The reason it's difficult to 'retrieve' is because the field is generally overgrown - how can we tell what's our recently dumped bramble verses one that's been growing for years?

also i'm slightly miffed at the busy body - might get her a crossword book to keep her entertained in the future.

yeah she’s not the one doing anything wrong here. you don’t have any grounds to get pissed off with her.

take your shit to the tip you lazy pair

We were also trying to be half decent people to prevent them taking root in the other gardens too

Half decent people by choosing to litter a little further away, rather than taking your rubbish to the tip?

I'd be furious if I caught a neighbour doing this. Such a dick, lazy, entitled move!

Plus it’s not recently dumped is it you say you’ve been doing it for years.

I can’t see an over-worked under-resourced, council doing anything about this, especially if you’ve done your best to clear it up. Make their decision easy by clearing up as much as possible (even if that’s other branches).

Also if any of the branches / brambles come from plants and trees over the boundary you’ve just returned them to the landowner which is the normal thing to do. Can’t quite tell from your post if that’s the case (and I’ve read it a couple of times)

Why don’t you just admit that you did it out of laziness rather than claiming you were trying to be half decent people.

You fly tipped and you got caught. I doubt the council will do anything about it in reality but hopefully it will teach you to take care of your rubbish like a responsible adult.

You can offer them, they don't have to take them and you can't just chuck it over regardless. That said, the cuttings will be compost by next year. Branches I would have used in my garden - stakes, rustic fence, plant supports, kindling (we're rural), I keep a wood pile (and compost my green waste)