CCTV cameras using ‘AI technology’ are set to be installed across the East Riding. These will be place at ‘hotspots’ across the area in order to help combat fly-tipping.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it is fitting high-tech CCTV cameras in a bid to catch fly-tippers in the act on film. The council also hopes that it will deter people from dumping rubbish in the first place, as well as prevent environment crimes from taking places.
The CCTV cameras will be fitted across various sites in the East Riding area. Locations include Cottingham, Hessle, Boynton near Bridlington and Rawcliffe near Goole.
According to the council, the streetscene enforcement team receives around 2,500 reports of fly-tipping each year. These reports are investigated with the rubbish removed at the council’s expense.
Prosecutions are brought where possible following investigation. Anyone caught fly-tipping in the East Riding could be ordered to pay a fixed penalty of up to £1,000 or the case could be taken to court, where they face an unlimited fine or even imprisonment.
Three CCTV towers have already been installed in Cottingham, Boynton and in Rawcliffe. Two more in Hessle and a second in Cottingham will follow soon, the council confirmed.
The camera towers operate at all times for the next 12 months and have been placed on grass verges in each of the ‘hotspots’. They are fitted with automatic number plate recognition software and the cameras cover all angles.
Footage recorded is monitored by CCTV security operatives trained to detect offences. One of the camera towers uses the latest AI technology to automatically detect rubbish being dumped and notify staff when incidents occur.
The council’s team is then alerted to investigate the fly-tipping offences. Each of the camera towers are also fitted with anti-vandal measures which alert staff when anyone attempts to tamper with them.
Councillor Lyn Healing, the council’s cabinet member for communities and public protection, said: “Fly-tipping is a blight and a nuisance, particularly in some rural parts of the East Riding. Our team investigates reports of fly-tipping we receive and they have had some success in the past with our own mobile CCTV cameras, but we haven’t had the resources to fully tackle this problem.
“Therefore, the council has purposely invested in these CCTV camera towers to step up our action against those who commit these crimes. These new cameras and their AI technology have been tried and tested by other councils and we want them to replicate the impressive results they’ve already produced elsewhere, here in the East Riding. To be clear, we will prosecute any fly-tippers caught by these cameras when we can and try to stamp out the dumping of rubbish in these areas.”
(Image: East Riding of Yorkshire Council)
The council has partnered with three companies – Kingdom, WCCTV and Clearway – to hire the CCTV cameras. After 12 months, the council will look at how the cameras have performed, with the intention of buying some of them permanently.
John Roberts, chief services officer at Kingdom LAS: “We are pleased to be working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council to support their efforts in tackling fly-tipping across the area through the installation of our WasteWatch/AI cameras. Fly-tipping is becoming more common across England, and our camera systems help tackle waste dumping in known fly-tipping hotspots and catch offenders.”
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