- Almost 20,000 incidents of fly-tipping occur every week in
England, the Local Government Association is warning.
Latest fly-tipping statistics for England 2019/20 show that
local authorities were forced to clear up just under 1 million
(976,000) fly-tipping incidents, from tarmac and asbestos, to
tyres and even a boat.
The LGA said councils are working hard to try and crackdown
on offenders. The number of court fines issued increased by 30
per cent to 2,671 in the same period and the total value rose to
£1,090,000 - a 7 per cent rise on the previous year.
However, the LGA is calling for sentencing guidelines to be
reviewed by the Government, so that offenders are given bigger
fines for more serious offences.
Local authorities have worked tirelessly throughout the
pandemic to keep Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRC)
open for the public to dispose of any waste that can’t be
collected at home. Significant volumes of material have continued
to flow into these sites suggesting that the public have adapted
to these measures well.
As well as maintaining these services, councils have
continued to communicate with their residents to keep them
informed of any changes to the service.
The LGA is also urging people to dispose of their waste
properly, using the nearest HWRC or private disposal company, and
wants manufacturers of furniture and mattresses to do more to
offer more take-back services.
Anyone using a private company to dispose of any waste,
should check that they have a Waste Carriers License, which is
required by any business that buys, sells, disposes of or
transports waste. The Government are currently looking to
strengthen the scheme which currently fines those without a
license up to £5,000.
Cllr David Renard, Environment spokesperson for the LGA,
said:
“Fly-tipping is inexcusable.
“It is not only an eyesore for residents, but a serious
public health risk, creating pollution and attracting rats and
other vermin. It also costs local taxpayers almost £50 million a
year to clear up which could be better spent on other vital
services in our communities.
“Councils are determined to crack down on the problem.
However, prosecuting fly-tippers often requires time-consuming
and laborious investigations, with a high threshold of
proof.
“With 20,000 incidents of fly-tipping a week, it is time
the Government looks at its sentencing guidelines to ensure that
those caught and prosecuted for fly-tipping receive significant
fines that are recovered quickly to deter them from spoiling our
parks, highways and verges again, and to help offset the huge
costs to councils.”
Case studies
East Herts
Council successfully prosecuted four individuals in relation
to fly-tipping this April, including one man who dumped a blue
boat in a layby, causing obstruction to drivers.
St Albans
City & District Council collected 750 bags of litter, 19
tyres, nine car bumpers and more during four litter picks by
their waste contractor.
Hull City
Council used CCTV to catch and fine nine offenders and upload
the footage to YouTube for all to see. The fines ranged from £400
to £1,400 and saw individuals punished for dumping household
waste, gardening materials and a sofa.
Durham
County Council ordered two men to pay more than £3,000 for
fly-tipping building waste in two separate cases.
Braintree
Council were forced to remove twenty tonnes of wood chippings
that had been illegally dumped.
Mid Devon
District Council cleared forty bags of hazardous asbestos
from a verge easily accessible to members of the public.
Notes to editors
-
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs’ Fly-tipping statistics for England
19/20
-
Previous
LGA stories on fly-tipping and litter
