Tivoli delivers a range of services on behalf of the council, from dealing with fly-tipping and litter, to cleaning dog mess and maintaining grassed areas owned by the authority.

Over the last two months Tivoli’s operatives have had their work cut out in dealing with fly-tipping incidents in the borough. In March and April there were almost 300 fly-tipping reports made to the council with a further 182 incidents of littering.

This has all come at a time when councils and other agencies have been dealing with the effects of the coronavirus and worked hard to maintain as many services as possible.

Some examples of incidents attended by Tivoli include several reports of fly-tipping in back lanes in Workington, Oldside in Workington, and in rural areas across the borough.

Tony Markley, the council’s executive member for environmental services, said:

“The work of the Tivoli crew has been nothing short of incredible. Through what have been extremely challenging times they have worked very hard to keep all corners of the borough looking its best.

“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities and has no place. It’s illegal, unsightly and diverts resources away from dealing with other issues, particularly battling the coronavirus.

“I’d urge people not to dump their rubbish but to store it safely at home until it’s safe to dispose of it. Our garden waste services have resumed and the household waste recycling centres run by the county council are also open, so there’s no excuse.”

Darren Cunningham, Tivoli’s chief executive, said:

“We’re very proud of the way our teams have pulled together and adapted the way they work in line with the new Government guidelines due to the pandemic. Safety is our number one priority, but we also we recognise how important street cleansing and grounds maintenance activities are, and the contribution they make to the wellbeing of communities and individuals – now more than ever.”

Anyone who sees dumped items in public should report it to the council through the myAllerdale mobile app (downloadable from the Apple or Google app stores) or through https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/report/.

If someone is caught fly-tipping they may be fined up to £50,000 or even be sent to prison. They may also be prosecuted if fly-tipped items can be traced back to them, even if they weren’t the person who dumped them. Everyone has a duty of care to ensure that their rubbish is passed on to an authorised person so that it can be disposed of safely.