What is fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of waste onto any land and can be dangerous, unsightly and harmful to the environment.
It is an offence* to fly-tip any material, and offenders can be fined up to £50,000 and /or 5 years imprisonment. Fines are unlimited if the case goes to Crown Court. Fixed penalty notices of £1000 can be issued for fly tipping.
By removing any fly-tipping as soon as possible, we will not only be improving our local environment, but we will be improving the quality of life for many residents. Once reported the waste can be removed and an investigation will take place.
Any waste dumped on private land is the responsibility of the land owner to dispose of however the Council will investigate incidents on private land if there is any evidence or you have witnessed the fly-tip.
*Environmental Protection Act (1990)
More information can be found on the Environment Agency website
Report a fly-tip
We are responsible for removing fly-tips on relevant public highways, footpaths, Council controlled car parks and other defined areas.
If you would like to report a fly-tip on public or private land please fill in our online form.
We will investigate a reported fly tip within 2 working days of being notified and ensure it is removed within an appropriate timescale depending on the outcome of the investigation. If the fly-tip is on private land we will notify the landowner that they need to remove and dispose of the fly-tip.
As part of our investigation we may contact you for further information
Duty of care
If somebody else is disposing of your waste it is your duty to ensure that they are a registered waste carrier and ask for a waste transfer note.
If they are not authorised and you waste ends up fly-tipped, the Council is able to fine those householders and businesses who have not checked that the operator is legitimate.
Householders and businesses not taking reasonable measures could face a fixed penalty notice of £600 or a fine of up to £5,000 if prosecuted in court.
You must ensure that you check:
- that you are using a genuine and reputable company or individual
- where they are taking your waste
- that they can give you a receipt (waste transfer note) for their service
If they are not registered, you should refuse their services and report them to the Environment Agency. This will reduce the likelihood of your waste being found amongst a fly-tip and the Council having to take action against you.