We all know what a big problem we have in this country with litter and waste disposal whether it be louts throwing McDonalds cartons out of car windows or low lives dumping old mattresses and settees by the roadside. However, it’s good to know that the Government recognises the problem and is doing all it can to alleviate it – by increasing the cost of dumping waste!

Yes, the latest stroke of genius to emanate from the corridors of power (in this case HM Revenue and Customs) is a huge increase in the cost of waste disposal which in effect is an invitation to fly-tip on an epic scale. Evidently, the cost of dumping some types of waste has gone up from £2.50 to £64 per tonne according to the Independent newspaper.

Of more relevance is the fact that the cost of emptying a skip has gone up from £144 to £300 and in the middle of a deep recession that is some increase. So concerned are national waste disposal companies that they have already staged a protest in Parliament Square and are predicting not only a huge increase in the illegal dumping of rubbish but also the loss of thousands of jobs in the waste disposal industry.

What on earth is going on in Whitehall and Westminster? Does nobody in Parliament have even a modicum of common sense?  We can only hope that the Chancellor of the Exchequer can be persuaded to realise that this is yet another gaffe by his accident-prone Government and he will smartly effect another U turn to match the other half dozen or so since the disastrous March budget. I wouldn’t hold my breath though.