The surge in fly-tipping has been accompanied by a rise in enforcement actions, with councils issuing 572,000 enforcement actions (up 8%) and 69,000 fixed penalty notices (up 9%), according to multiple reports. However, the number of court fines fell by 9% to 1,250, and the combined value dropped from £730,000 to £673,000. Councils also seized 139 vehicles last year.
Cambridgeshire recorded 19,224 separate illegal dumps in the same period, according to multiple reports. Peterborough had 10,474 incidents, including 188 large-scale cases costing taxpayers £65,800 in clean-up costs. Huntingdonshire had 3,560 illegal dumps, and Cambridge had 2,166 incidents. Councils in the county made 9,392 enforcement actions, including 482 fixed penalties, and collected £11,669 in fines.
Fly-tipping most commonly occurs on pavements and roads (37% of cases), according to multiple reports. Almost a third of incidents (31%) were the size of a small van load, while 27% were equivalent to a car boot or less. 52,000 cases involved an amount of rubbish equivalent to a tipper lorry load or more, an 11% increase, costing councils £19.26 million to clear up.
In Essex, fly-tippers have dumped a five-foot wall of rubbish at Flitch Way, by the former Felsted station near Dunmow, according to multiple reports. The site has been subject to illegal dumping for more than 10 years and is currently for sale at £700,000, with eight homes granted construction on the site. An Uttlesford Council spokesperson said the preferred approach is the sale of the site with conditions requiring it to be cleared and secured within a short time frame, with safeguards allowing the council to step in if this does not happen. If the sale completes, the site will be cleared within three weeks, and the council will work alongside the new owners to secure it. If it does not sell, the council will take direct action to clear and secure the site.
Near Peterborough, a large amount of fly-tipped waste was found close to Sacrewell Farm on private land owned by National Highways, according to multiple reports. Peterborough City Council officers cordoned off the waste and reported the incident to National Highways. A council spokesperson said teams recently spotted a large amount of household waste dumped on land off the A47, and following an investigation, it was determined that the waste was on private land, which the owner is legally required to remove.
In Lewisham, south east London, residents have accused their local council of effectively fly-tipping by failing to collect rubbish from the streets, according to multiple reports. The Environment Agency dealt with 98 incidents of large-scale illegal dumping last year.