AN investigation has been launched by Derby City Council into how it tackles fly-tipping and litter in a bid to see what improvements can be made.
The move comes as part of a raft of measures the council is taking to tackle the problem of dumped rubbish, which is especially blighting the Normanton area.
The findings of the review will influence its policies and form the authority's contribution to a House of Commons inquiry.
It will examine things like the history of the problem and why behaviours have changed, how refuse is collected in the city, the role of education and enforcement, and why the worst hotspots have developed.
The investigation, to be completed next month, has been brought forward after the Government inquiry, requested by Derby North MP Chris Williamson, was announced.
Mr Williamson was influenced by Derby Telegraph articles showing the scale of the problem in Normanton.
Anything from meat to furniture is regularly dumped in the area's streets but there have not been any recent prosecutions in Derby for fly-tipping.
One thing the Government inquiry will look at is whether a change of law is needed to tackle the dumping. The current level of proof needed is the same as that for murder.
Dawn Gee, a member of Normanton Empowerment Team, which has been battling for more to be done about fly-tipping in the area, said she welcomed the review.
She said one thing she hoped would come out of it was council neighbourhoods staff being more "proactive" when it comes to tackling fly-tipping.
Mrs Gee said members of her group had recently proved how affective this can be when they confronted a household about the dumping of mattresses in Young Street.
She said: "We knocked on the door of the house they were propped up against, to ask if the mattresses belonged to this household.
"The response was yes, but they claimed not to have dumped them and still wanted them. They had no explanation why they needed to be on the street. We asked for them to be removed off the street or we would report it as fly-tipping. The mattresses were removed straightaway.
"If we can do this, why can't the council?"
Councillor Asaf Afzal, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and Streetpride, said the council's teams were working hard to keep the streets clean.
He said: "We would love to have officers out on the streets all the time, but the fact of the matter is we don't have the resources.
"I'll continue to encourage everyone to do their bit when it comes to keeping our streets tidy – a place we can be proud of.
"We can only achieve this if we all work together."
To sign our petition calling for a change of law to tackle fly-tipping, visit epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/68218.
