William Eichler 06 January 2020

‘Toughen up’ fly-tipping sentences, council chiefs say

Local authority leaders have called for tougher sentences for fly-tippers as the latest figures reveal that offences have increased by 50% in six years.

Incidents of fly-tipping have increased from 714,637 in 2012/13 to 1,072,431 in 2018/19.

However, over the same period only 5% of court-imposed fines were above £1,000, and only a sixth of them above £500.

The Local Government Association (LGA) argues that tougher sentences are needed in order to deter fly-tippers.

‘Councils are determined to crack down on the problem and have increased enforcement activity, including installing CCTV at fly-tipping hotspots to support successful prosecutions,’ said LGA environment spokesman, Cllr David Renard.

‘However, prosecuting fly-tippers often requires time-consuming and laborious investigations, with a high threshold of proof. Tougher sentences are needed to act as a stronger deterrent to criminals dumping waste.’

Councils took action on nearly half a million incidents in 2018/19 – almost 5,000 more than the previous year and up by nearly 75,000 in six years.

The LGA estimates that fly-tipping costs councils £58m a year to clear up.

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