Bags full of empty sauvignon blanc bottles have been dumped between the villages of Hotham and North Cave in East Yorkshire, with most bottles identified as Villa Maria brand. Villagers have warned the bottles pose dangers to runners, horse riders, and farmers who cut long grass on verges for hay, with one farmer finding 48 bottles in a single day. Residents have started a WhatsApp group to track down the culprit and are considering setting up trail cameras.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council claimed it was not aware of a particular issue around this area, having received one report in August 2025 with no further reports on record. 2 million incidents recorded in 2024-25. 2% of fly-tipping incidents led to court action in 2024-25, and only 139 vehicles belonging to fly-tippers had been seized, according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
To combat the crisis, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds revealed earlier this week that an additional £45 million will be spent on targeting fly-tipping gangs. Drones, CCTV, and high-tech tags will be used, with those caught fly-tipping fined and forced to clean up streets and parks, and points potentially added to their driving licences with cars possibly crushed.