Incidents of fly-tipping on public land have increased by two
percent across England in 2019/2020, according to new
figures released by Defra today (February 24th)
While councils in England have dealt with just under 1 million
fly-tipping incidents during this period, these figures account
for waste illegally dumped on public land reported to these
authorities.
However, the vast majority of fly-tipping incidents on
privately-owned land, which are thought to be ‘significantly
more’, aren’t included.
Representing around 28,000 rural businesses across England and
Wales, the Country & Land and Business Association (CLA)
believes these figures do not fully reflect the severity of the
situation.
Mark Bridgeman, President of the CLA, said:
“While these figures are alarming, it’s just the tip of the
iceberg.
“Cases of fly-tipping on privately owned land are significantly
more than on public land so these government figures do not
reflect the true scale of this type of organised crime, which
blights our rural communities. Part of the problem is that it’s
currently too simple to gain a waste carrying licence that
enables firms to transport and dispose of waste – and this needs
urgent reform with correct checks put in place. A revamped system
would act as a deterrent.”
“One CLA member, who is regularly subjected to fly-tipping, is
having to pay £50,000 each year for rubbish, such as tyres,
fridges, tents, barbecues and building waste, to be cleared.
Local authorities need to start sharing the brunt of these costs,
and taking more responsibility for waste dumped on people’s land.
“Although the maximum fine for anyone caught fly-tipping is
£50,000 or 12 months imprisonment, if convicted in a Magistrates'
Court, this is seldom enforced. Unless tougher action is taken to
combat this kind of rural crime, it will continue to increase.”
The most common size category for fly-tipping incidents in
2019/20 was equivalent to a ‘small van load’ (34% of total
incidents), followed by the equivalent of a ‘car boot or less’
(28%). The most common place for fly-tipping to occur was on
highways (pavements and roads), which accounted for over two
fifths (43%) of total incidents.
Read the figures in full here
- The CLA introduced a 5-point
action plan to tackle fly tipping which called on local
authorities, the Environment Agency and police forces to commit
to stronger action against the increase of fly-tipping on
private land. The CLA believes that each local authority should
have a dedicated lead for fly-tipping to aid partnership
working.
