Island Labour says the Isle of Wight Council must get behind a new Government crackdown on fly-tipping and wider waste crime.
The call comes after the Government and Environment Agency unveiled a sweeping package of measures aimed at tackling illegal dumping and shutting down rogue waste operators.
At the centre of the new Waste Crime Action Plan is a zero-tolerance approach designed to prevent waste crime at source, close loopholes and give regulators stronger powers to act against offenders.
Under the proposals, those found responsible for waste crime could be ordered to complete up to 20 hours of unpaid work cleaning streets and parks as part of new ‘clean-up squads’. Offenders may also be forced to repay the cost of clearing the rubbish they dumped.
Island Labour says a Labour-run Isle of Wight council would fully support the measures.
Labour candidate for Lake North, Jenny Hicks, said:
“Fly-tipping is a filthy scourge on our community and under Labour we just won’t stand for it. Here on the Island a Labour council would have a zero-tolerance attitude towards fly-tipping, and nationally the Labour Government is bringing in tough new rules to force waste criminals to clean up their own mess and pay for the damage they cause. Under Labour, the Isle of Wight council will back these plans by all means necessary.
“Here on the Island, we want to build a clean, safe and welcoming environment for Islanders and visitors alike – that means cracking down on the selfish criminals who want to flout our laws and leave their rubbish in our community.”
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The Environment Agency is also set to expand its on-the-ground activity against waste criminals, with a focus on intervening earlier at larger sites.
That work will be backed by an additional £45million from the Government over the next 3 years – a major increase on the Environment Agency’s £10million enforcement budget in 2024/25.
The Government has also said it will introduce a Landfill Tax rebate for local authorities that step in to clear illegal waste sites, helping to ease financial pressure on councils.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the plan sends a clear message to offenders, warning that those who dump waste illegally will face the full consequences. She said waste criminals would be forced to join clean-up squads and made to pay for the removal of illegal waste.
Alongside the action plan, the Environment Agency has published a new 10-point plan setting out how it will act earlier and more consistently against illegal waste activity.
This includes wider use of restriction notices, which can shut down an illegal waste operation immediately and without warning. Operators who ignore a restriction notice could face up to 51 weeks in prison.
Where there is evidence that carriers or site operators are handling waste unlawfully, the Environment Agency says it will move to suspend or revoke permits and deregister authorisations to stop them operating.
Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, Philip Duffy, said:
“Waste crime is not a new issue, but the threat is evolving and our response needs to move up a gear.
“We will act earlier, faster and smarter by shutting down illegal sites before they become established, using our powers decisively to strip rogue operators of their permits, and working with police, HMRC and councils to go after criminal assets.
“These measures will ensure we stay one step ahead of waste criminals and protect the communities, businesses and environment that they blight.
“But we can’t fight this battle on our own and will need the public’s eyes and ears to report illegal dumping through Crimestoppers or our incident hotline.”
Waste crime is estimated to cost the English economy £1billion each year, with around 20% of all waste thought to be managed illegally.
The Government says that between July 2024 and the end of 2025, the Environment Agency achieved 122 prosecutions, resulting in 10 immediate custodial sentences, while 1,205 illegal waste sites were stopped. Since the start of 2026, Environment Agency investigations have also led to 15 arrests linked to waste crime.
Find them and make them pay for the cleanup, whether they have to sell their own stuff ( tv games consume etc) they should pay for it?
the box in the pic on left looks like it has an address on it?
Looks like the work of a tradesman dumping their
sh*t!
They do say you learn something new every day, I did not know we had labour councillors on the island , or is it singular, either way never heard from them until the may elections come into view and now they are after a bit of free publicity.
They are making the most of their time, what’s left that is
until May.
I did recently read that the Government may introduce
a points system like speeding points etc.
If caught they could be banned from driving
THAT WOULD STOP THE DIRTY FILTHY B’STARDS!
Look I get the frustration, but harsher punishments don’t fix much if people aren’t being caught in the first place. We already have fines, prison sentences, etc, the gap is enforcement, not lack of penalties. Without proper monitoring and follow up, a points system just becomes another rule that sounds tough but doesn’t actually get used.
Why is there NO Zero tolerance for numpties
speeding, parking on Pavements and parking on
Double Yellow Lines!!
Does that not cost the country billions of pounds each year!
Think of all the unnesseccary traffic accidents due to speeding
and all the anti-social issues due to thick numpties parking
illegally!
ZERO TOLERANCE SHOULD APPLY TO EVERYTHING, DON’T
JUST CHERRY PICK!
If you apply ‘zero tolerance to everything’, you dilute it. Resources aren’t unlimited, so you either target serious issues properly or spread enforcement so thin that nothing gets dealt with effectively. Fly tipping leaves entire areas wrecked and costs councils a fortune to clean up, it makes sense that it’s being singled out rather than treated the same as minor traffic offences.
Having worked with three local authorities I haven’t found one with backbone to prosecute.
Theres always a reason why it would be impracticable to, even when gifted with absolute bullet proof evidence.
This is clearly building rubbish. People need to ensure that people who do work for them dispose of the waste properly or not employ them