Seven out of ten local authorities report that fly-tipping is a major problem and putting extra pressure on budgets, according to a new survey.

The research, conducted by Keep Britain Tidy, also showed that 53% of local authorities said fly-tipping has been made worse due to changes such as the increase in bulky waste charges and the closing of recycling centres.

A separate survey also revealed that more than a third of people (36%) thought it was OK to do things that are legally defined as fly-tipping.

Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said: 'We know that local authorities are at their wits’ end trying to tackle the growing crisis of dumped rubbish and our surveys show that there is a real challenge here to educate the public that not only is it not OK to fly-tip, it is illegal and can result in a substantial fine for householders and a criminal record.'

The charity is calling on the Government to give revenue generated through the landfill tax directly to councils to help fund free collection and recycling services.

The latest figures show fly-tipping costs councils in excess of £50m a year to deal with.