THE story regarding so-called "illegal tipping" spy cameras at the James Street skip (Keeping watch, The Press, January 9) , seems to me to be another example of bureaucracy gone mad.

By all means use spy technology to catch fly tipping out in the countryside; this is not only dangerous but wrecks the environment.

Using this technology at a public tip beggars belief. I have a small construction related business and what the council never mentioned was that when the skip was at Foss Islands Road, the trade would turn up with a load, this would be assessed, details taken, dumped and in time a bill would turn up and be paid. It was even possible to open an account.

Since the move to James Street, unless traders have a waste carriers licence, obtainable from the Department of the Environment at a cost of about £300 per year, they will not be allowed to use the skip.

Not only the cost, there is the extra paper work, you are expected to "grade" the waste otherwise you will be turned away. All of this designed to encourage fly tipping.

I no longer remove waste from a job, as I point out that it is actually the property of the customer and up to them to dispose of it.

The idea that people are illegally dumping at a public skip is bordering on lunacy. A few may be doing this, but is this not better than destroying our countryside? At what expense has the public purse been abused to implement this nonsense?

I am sure they are following national/European directives as far as the licensing, but there is no such requirement or need to finance such an expensive and unnecessary surveillance system, particularly from a council which is £1 million in the red.

F Drury, Albemarle Road, York.