‘Pester power’ is being used to target landlords over tenants who dump waste on their property.
In a new strategy by South Holland District Council, it is hoped to reduce the amount of waste creating an eyesore and the cost of removing it.
Grot spots highlighted include the Gore Lane car park and Albion Street, but problem areas also include rented properties which are short-term tenancies.
Coun Roger Gambba-Jones said: “We are using pester power in the hope we can get landlords to educate their tenants not to dump waste.
“It is incredibly difficult to prove who is responsible, even if the enforcement team goes through bags and finds paperwork with names.
“But we are writing letters to landlords asking them to educate their tenants and we are explaining the legal implications if we can prove who is responsible.
“Hopefully, they will eventually get sick of receiving the letters and do something about it.
“This equates to fly-tipping on farmland. Farmers have to put up with people dumping stuff and when it gets bad we come along and ask them if they would be good enough to clear it up.
“If you came into the town centre at 6.30am you’d find it spotless – the clean-up team is out every day,
“But by midday you wouldn’t believe anything had been done.
”People seem to have no regard for where they live – it’s annoying and frustrating, but we are not giving up.”
Coun Angela Newton told members of the council at their meeting on Wednesday that she was concerned about the implications of the strategy.
She said: “At AP Sales we let 250 flats and it would be very difficult to prove if the rubbish belonged to a tenant – settees and fridges don’t come with name tags. People see a pile of rubbish and add things to it and that’s where the problem starts, even if you see a name.
“The council is at risk with its 4,000 rented properties of having its own enforcement team chasing it up.”
Help from the public to catch culprits would be welcome. She said: “If anyone sees someone dumping waste and can tell us who they are please tell us and we will chase it up.”