The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is urging authorities such as the Isle of Wight Council to take fly-tipping seriously, as new figures revealed nobody has been handed the maximum penalties since they were introduced 5 years ago.
Fly-tipping incidents in England have risen by nearly 40% in that time, to almost 1 million in 2017/18.
Ministers introduced new sentencing guidelines in 2014, with a £50,000 fine or 12 months in prison the maximum punishment, if a case is dealt with at a magistrates’ court.
CLA South East, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses across the Isle of Wight and the wider region, is now calling on councils and courts to take robust action to deter potential fly-tippers.
Regional Director Robin Edwards said:
“There were nearly one million cases of fly-tipping recorded by local authorities in 2017/18, though the true figures are likely to be significantly higher as predominantly the statistics do not include incidents on private land, where the landowner has responsibility to oversee the clearance and cost for waste removal. The CLA estimates it costs a farmer or landowner an average of £844 to clear up each incident, while the environmental damage can be considerable.
“We appreciate that councils have budgetary pressures, but failing to tackle the menace of fly-tipping could ultimately make their financial situations worse if it means they end up facing increased clean-ups costs dealing with more dumped rubbish.
“The message needs to be sent loud and clear that dumping waste will not be tolerated, and those who do it will be prosecuted.
Article continues below this advertisement “Imposing and enforcing stiffer penalties which better reflect the seriousness of the crime is crucial, along with seizing the vehicles used to fly-tip.”
Analysis by the Local Government Association reveals that no-one convicted of fly-tipping since the Government introduced new guidelines in 2014 has been slapped with the maximum £50,000 fine or 12 months in prison by the courts.
This is despite fly-tipping incidents rocketing by 39.6% since 2012, up from 714,637 to 997,553 in 2017/18.
I know the council is trying to make the books balance but the regime they have at the local refuse tip and payments business’s have to make to dump rubbish is only going to make this worse. The cost of clearing up fly tipping must be costing more than the charges they impose. Maybe policies need to be relaxed
This coul;d be avoided if it was made free to get ridf of rubbish for free.
The irony is that tipper trucks are not alowed in to the tip!
I have one for work (doesn’t belong to me) I drive everyday, yet if I clear my garden. I stuggle to get rid of the waste. I have to either pay someone else to take it or try to stuff it in my nice car (ruining it in the process) and do multiple trips to the tip.
Ahh, but you can get a personal permit I hear you say! Allows you to take 12 trips a year to the tip if you register yourself. Means you can take a trailer or a van……. brilliant… but it excludes tipping vehicles!!!!!
Aaaaaaaaarg!!!! it makes me soooooo angry!!! I have everything needed to get rid of my personal waste but cant bloody use it!!!!!!!
Right….. thats it!!!… I’m off to fly tip it all somewhere else!!!!
(Joking by the way)
P.s You can take a tipping vehicke in to the tip but only with a paid waste carrier permit and then you still pay on top for that waste.