WILTSHIRE Council is advising residents and businesses to dispose of their waste lawfully after officers had to issue seven fixed penalty notices for illegal waste tipping at a supermarket site in Salisbury.

The notices came after officers received a number of reports regarding the recycling area in Waitrose car park.

Six local residents and two Salisbury businesses had illegally dumped waste at the site.

The recycling containers in the car park are for glass and paper only, but the offenders had left general household and business waste. This created litter problems and an “unsightly environmental nuisance”.

All six local residents and one business received a £300 penalty notice.

The other business was interviewed under caution due to the amount of commercial waste found at the site.

All businesses are legally required to pass their waste on to an authorised person so it can be disposed of correctly.

Cabinet member for enforcement John Thomson said: “We are keen to recycle in Wiltshire which is why Wiltshire residents have a number of options available to them to dispose of materials correctly. If anyone has difficulty managing their waste we would encourage them to contact the council directly for assistance.

“This action sends out a clear message we will not accept illegal dumping wherever it is and we hope residents and businesses will take notice.”

Reports of flytipped waste can be made by contacting Wiltshire Council on 0300 4560100, or on the website wiltshire.gov.uk/mywiltshirereport.htm or using the My Wiltshire app. People are advised to leave the waste untouched as evidence could be lost and it may contain syringes or other contaminants.

Residents can also contact the council on the same number 0300 456 0102 to discuss any problems with household waste and recycling or email wasteandrecycling@wiltshire.gov.uk.