East Riding of Yorkshire Council is trialling video surveillance to combat litter thrown on grass verges in the region. The council is working with the firm LitterCam on the outskirts of Hull, to record drivers who dump their rubbish on the roadside. The annual cost to the council of clearing litter from streets in the East Riding, including its verges, is £4.36m.
The aim of the trial is to prevent motorists from discarding their rubbish irresponsibly – waste such as fast-food packaging, drinks cups, cans, bottles and cigarette butts – and encourage them to take their rubbish home instead. The trial launched on 23 June and will run for 12 weeks. The Willerby roundabout on the A164 road as it is a high traffic location with several fast-food outlets nearby.
The product, said to be the first of its kind in the UK, uses AI software to automatically detect vehicle number plates and record any rubbish that gets dumped from those vehicles. That will be relayed to the council’s streetscene enforcement officers who will analyse the footage to see if any offences have been committed. The council says it intends to issue warning letters to those offenders during this trial, rather than fixed penalties.
If the trial proves successful, the council would look at a longer-term partnership with the firm with the possibility of installing more cameras in other litter hotspots in the East Riding.
Littercam is a Wakefield-based company and has done trials with other authorities, including in London, Manchester, Scotland, the Netherlands and in Saudi Arabia, and most recently in Loughborough; there, 28 fines of £150 were issued and verge litter was reduced by 40 per cent as a result of the camera system.
Councillor Lyn Healing, East Riding council’s cabinet member for communities and public protection, said: “We are committed to tackling litter in the East Riding and embracing the use of modern technology is a key element of our strategy. Littering is against the law and keeping our streets clean – including our roadsides – costs the council around £4m per year. This trial partnership with LitterCam will allow us to better understand how AI can be used in the fight against litter.”
Brid cemetery
Meanwhile after reports of repeated antisocial behaviour and criminal damage at the cemetery on Sewerby Road in Bridlington, council officers have spoken with schools in the area about appropriate behaviour and correct places in which students should play. How past offenders were brought to justice for similar misconduct, was also highlighted. The council says it’s liaising with the Bridlington Neighbourhood Policing team and is working to install CCTV cameras and increase patrols in the area.
Residents are also reminded that the cemetery is covered by a public space protection order (PSPO), mandating that dogs be kept on a lead. Failure to do so, or to clean up dog fouling, is an offence.
Photo by Mark Rowe: public space CCTV, Beverley bus station, East Riding.
