Flytipping incidents in Tendring district dropped last year

Defra figures reveal there were 533 flytipping incidents in the district in the year to March 2023 – a drop of ten per cent compared to the same period the year before.

This meant there were 3.5 incidents per 1,000 people in the area.

Despite the drop, experts have called on the Government to review sentencing guidelines, introduce bigger fines and “even jail ‘professional flytippers’ when they are caught”.

In Tendring, most flytipped waste was discovered on highways, accounting for 59 per cent of recorded incidents. This was followed by 31 per cent on council land.

Volunteer - Andrea Thompson clearing up rubbish on the beach in Jaywick (Image: Bradley Thompson)

The largest proportion of discarded waste was household waste, making up 37 per cent of all incidents.

Across England, local authorities dealt with 1.08million incidents last year, down slightly from 1.09million the year before.

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But the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy warned the number of “tipper lorry load” size or larger incidents has increased by 13 per cent.

Chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “It is time for the public and our justice system to say ‘enough is enough’ and tackle the selfish vandals who are trashing our environment for profit.

“The public can play their part by ensuring that they only give their unwanted ‘stuff’ to reputable, licensed waste carriers who will dispose of it correctly and the courts must help by using the considerable sentencing powers they have to order hefty fines and even jail ‘professional flytippers when they are caught.

“Environmental crime is not a victimless crime – we are all victims of it.”

The number of fixed penalty notices issued across the country fell from 91,000 in 2021-22 to 73,000 in 2022-23, but none of these were in Tendring.

While the average court fine increased by 13 per cent to £526, there were fewer fines given last year with a total value of £785,000 compared to £837,000 in the year before.

Recycling minister Robbie Moore said the Government is helping councils to fight criminals, giving local authorities additional grants to tackle flytipping and increasing on-the-spot fines to £1,000.