Government figures show West Lindsey is hit by two fly-tipping incidents every day

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New figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show there are two fly-tipping incidents every day on average in West Lindsey

The DEFRA data has revealed the scale of the issue facing councils across the country, with almost one million incidents recorded in England in 2017-18.

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In West Lindsey, there were 792 fly-tipping incidents in the 12 months to March .

This was an increase of nine per cent from five years ago, when there were 728.

Fly tipping incidents have increased in the last year. Photo: PA/Chris RadburnFly tipping incidents have increased in the last year. Photo: PA/Chris Radburn
Fly tipping incidents have increased in the last year. Photo: PA/Chris Radburn

Across England, fly-tipping increased by 40 per cent over the same period.

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Tipping incidents in West Lindsey most commonly involved volumes of waste that were the equivalent of a small van load.

However, the area is also seeing increasing numbers of large-scale tips, involving a lorry load of rubbish or more.

The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, said councils were determined to ‘end the scourge of fly-tipping’.

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Coun Martin Tett, environment spokesman for the Local Government Authority, said: “This new analysis shows the scale of the fly-tipping epidemic we face in this country.

Fly-tipping is unsightly and unacceptable environmental vandalism.

“It’s an absolute disgrace for anyone to think that they can use the environments in which our residents live as a repository for litter.”

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The most common type of waste dumped in West Lindsey was household waste, which accounted for 255 incidents, followed by black bags of household rubbish and construction or DIY waste.

Waste was most commonly dumped on roads.

Clearing up the rubbish and taking action against perpetrators is estimated to have cost the council around £60,000 last year.

Councils can take a range of actions against fly-tipping, from sending warning letters to launching prosecutions.

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Last year the council took action on 200 occasions, up from 24 in 2012-13.

These included launching 116 investigations, sending out 82 warning letters and issuing one penalty notices.

Coun Tett continued: “Councils are determined to protect local environments.

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“New fixed penalty notice powers from the Government will help but every single conviction for more serious fly-tipping offences still results in council taxpayers having to pick up the bill.

“We need to make sure that when councils take offenders to court, a faster, more effective legal system ensures that serious fly-tipping offences result in hard-hitting fines.”

Last year, overall fly-tipping incidents in England fell slightly by around one per cent – the first fall for five years.

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However, large-scale tips increased by nine per cent over the same period.

Since 2012-13, the number of actions taken by councils has risen by 16 per cent.

A spokesman for Defra said: “The figures show our tough actions to crack down on fly-tippers are delivering results.

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“Councils are using powers to hand out on-the-spot fines to fly-tippers to good effect, and we have made it easier for vehicles suspected of being used for fly-tipping to be stopped, searched and seized.

“New fixed penalty notices for householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper also come into force shortly, as we continue our efforts to crack down on those who blight our landscapes.”