AN Alton man is planning to bring a private prosecution against the firm that dumped builder’s trade waste at the entrance to his land.

Simon Clifford claims to have suffered fly-tipping overnight on May 2 on land he owns on the Selborne Road. The rubbish, thought to have been from a house clearance and/or renovation project, completely blocked the gate to his field and, he claims, cost him around £1,000 to have it cleared.

At the time Mr Clifford got in touch with East Hampshire District Council (EHDC), only to be told that since the rubbish had been dumped on private land EHDC had no statutory duty to remove it.

However, there was sufficient evidence to spark an investigation but this has been so slow that Mr Clifford has asked the Ombudsman to investigate EHDC for maladministration.

Mr Clifford is frustrated because, he says, he needs a successful prosecution to have been brought against the perpetrator by the local authority before he can proceed with a private prosecution. And he feels the local authority may be dragging its heels.

Equally frustrated by what it refers to as “a nationwide blight on the environment” EHDC points out that, in this case, it has carried out an extensive investigation, “but cases of this nature take time to build”.

The incident serves to highlight a national frustration over fly-tipping. Statistics show that more than one million incidents where dealt with by councils in England in 2016/17, costing tax payers £58m to clear up.

And that does not take into account the cost to private landowners like Mr Clifford, who is determined to pursue the case and bring the perpetrator to justice.

Having written to East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds on two occasions, Mr Clifford says he has also carried out his own investigations into the incident and claims to know who the builder and his customer are, stressing that, in his opinion, both are innocent of any wrong doing.

According to Mr Clifford, the builder paid a licensed/registered waste carrier to clear rubbish from the residential site on which he was working and has the paper work to prove it.

He believes EHDC also has this information but is of the opinion that the investigation has somehow stalled.

He points out that, despite EHDC claiming to be pro-active over fly tipping, its prosecution record fails to support this claim. Mr Clifford has secured data which shows that while cases of fly tipping incidents in East Hampshire rose from 544 to 682 over the period 2015/16, there have been zero prosecutions.

Mr Clifford said: “I think we have to assume that there will have been no change in this trend of failure for 2017.”

Having invested “significant time, effort and money” in this case he is “incandescent” with the lack of progress.

A spokesman for EHDC said: “We have carried out an extensive investigation into this case. Once complete the evidence gathered will be reviewed by EHDC’s legal team to see if the case can be taken forward, including pursuing a prosecution or taking other measures.

“This investigation began in May and during that time our investigating officer has been in regular contact with Mr Clifford but cases of this nature do take time to build.

“We do understand Mr Clifford’s frustrations, as large tips of this nature are difficult and expensive to clear.

“Prosecuting fly-tippers requires a high standard of evidence which can be relied on in a criminal setting or court of law. Since May this year EHDC has had an officer dedicated to investigating fly tips. In all, 16 investigations have been conducted, of which Selborne Road has been by far the largest. Five of the investigations have led to individuals agreeing to clear minor tips when faced with the possibility of prosecution, five have led to no result and six more are ongoing.

“The council would encourage any persons that might have seen the incident or any other incident within East Hampshire district to contact Sonja Reames at EHDC on 01730 234061.”