City has region’s highest rate of fly-tipping.
According to the latest government statistics, Peterborough has the greatest number of fly-tipping incidences in the East of England.
The city council region had 46 occurrences per 1,000 residents. Luton was not far behind with 44 occurrences per 1,000 inhabitants. The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced the national figures for 2023-2024. According to Peterborough City Council, the results are “not a like-for-like comparison… [our] area includes urban and rural areas which have historically suffered from fly-tipping”. Angus Ellis, the council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said it was “fully committed” to reducing trash, noting recent steps it has adopted included new cameras in hotspots.
It also “increased fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences to the maximum amount” and carried out a public awareness campaign. “I would point out that although the council is sometimes criticised for fly-tipping in Peterborough it is not the authority committing the act itself,” claimed the politician.
According to government data, unlawful rubbish tipping costs the country £1 billion each year. Phil Davies, head of the Environment Agency’s Joint Unit for Waste Crime, stated that organised criminal groups are targeting the waste business and “wreaking havoc” on the environment.
Fly-tipping hotspots in the eastern region
By council area:
- There were 46 incidents per 1,000 people in Peterborough, 44 in Luton, Bedfordshire, 38 in West Northamptonshire, 37 in Norwich, and 32 in Basildon, Essex.
In February, Peterborough City Council issued permits for its Fengate Household Recycling Centre in an effort to restrict the amount of out-of-town visitors. However, people have recently expressed fears that it may lead to an increase in fly-tipping. According to Harry Machin, chairman of the Peterborough Litter Wombles Association, fly-tipping has been more prevalent since the group’s inception in 2021. Its volunteers often collect a large number of minor fly-tips, including “bags of household waste, DIY materials, tyres, children’s toys, mattresses, bedding” that are not included in official statistics. He also urged officials to make it cheaper and easier for consumers to dispose of their bulky waste. Other local authority districts that received strong marks were:
- Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire: 24 incidents per 1,000 persons (3,037 incidents). Ipswich, Suffolk – eight incidents per thousand inhabitants (1,220 incidents). Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire: 16 occurrences per 1,000 persons (3,078 events). Cambridge: 14 occurrences per 1,000 inhabitants (2,176 incidents). Milton Keynes has 16 occurrences per 1,000 persons (4,824 total). Buckinghamshire has four incidents per thousand (4,272 events).
Landowners are ‘victims’
Fly-tipping remained a “serious concern” for the Country Land and Business Association in the East, which represents farmers, landowners, and rural businesses. Regional director Cath Crowther stated: “Farmers and landowners must clear garbage deposited on their land at their own expense or face prosecution. “Some people have to clean waste on a weekly basis, and the costs of doing so can quickly add up. “It is unjust for local authorities to threaten action against private landowners as it criminalises the victims of waste crime.” Adam Hug, the Local Government Association’s environment spokesperson, stated, “Penalties imposed by the prosecution do not reflect the gravity of the act committed.
“We continue to urge the government to review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping so that offenders are given bigger fines for more serious offences to act as a deterrent.”
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