Councils are calling for a review of fly-tipping court fines after new DEFRA figures showed a record 1.26 million incidents of illegal waste dumping on public land in England.
Locally, West Berkshire reported 1,043 incidents, including 74 tipper-truck dumps.
Breakdown for West Berkshire: 468 incidents on highways, 41 on footpaths and bridleways, 118 on council land and 297 on private property.
Items dumped included 47 white goods, 60 car tyres, 70 construction tips, 75 black bag waste bags and 329 other household goods. There were 386 small van loads and 100 transit van loads recorded.
Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) found the average fine handed down by courts was £539 — £87 lower than the average £626 fixed penalty notice issued by councils for the same offence last year. The LGA says lower fines from courts undermine deterrence, weaken enforcement and leave councils out of pocket after prosecutions.
Larger cases — where a tipper lorryload or more is dumped — cost English councils £19.3m to clear up last year. Footage filmed in London showed the “brazen” nature of some dumpers, with rubbish thrown onto the road from a tipper truck before the vehicle drove off when filmed.
The LGA says prosecutions can need lengthy investigations, high evidence thresholds and lots of staff time. It highlighted cases where court fines were lower than initial council penalties: in York two offenders were each fined £300 despite fixed penalties of £600 and £1,000; in Wiltshire someone who failed to pay a £1,000 fixed penalty was fined £80 at court; and in Chelmsford two offenders were each fined £300 after being prosecuted, less than the £400 fixed penalties they had received.
Arooj Shah, chairwoman of the LGA neighbourhoods committee, said: "Sentencing guidelines must be reviewed so that the punishment fits the crime and reflects both the harm caused and the significant work undertaken by enforcement officers."
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
