11,550 cases of fly-tipping – but just 13 people were prosecuted
GROUP CALLS FOR TOUGHER SENTENCES AS PROBLEM GETS WORSE
EVERY day an average of 32 piles of rubbish are fly-tipped in the city and county.
New figures published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs show there were 11,550 cases of fly-tipping recorded across the county in 2019/20.
However, the figures show just 13 people were prosecuted for fly-tipping in that year.
The dumping problem is particularly bad in Leicester, with the rate of incidents in the city compared to the population more than three times as high as anywhere else in the county.
Last year councils in Leicestershire spent £146,716 just on clearing instances of large-scale fly-tipping alone - and that only accounts for a fraction of the overall cost.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a magistrates’ court.
Campaign group Clean Up Britain says the government needs to issue strong guidance to courts to start using these strict sentences, which they are not doing at the moment.
John Read, founder of the group, said: “Britain is drowning under a tsunami of litter and fly-tipping. Both are out of control.
“We’re currently enduring a horrendous health pandemic, but we’re also suffering from a long-running litter and fly-tipping epidemic.
“Much tougher sentences are needed to deter fly-tipping and littering, which are costing local councils £58 million a year to clear up.
“This is a horrendous waste of money, especially when the country is semi-bankrupt.
“The government - through the courts - needs to start acting very tough and send an unequivocally powerful message to environmental criminals: ‘If you fly-tip, we will fine you large amounts of money, crush your vehicle and send you to prison.’ The message would soon get through.”
In Leicestershire, councils took action on 11,933 occasions in 2019/20, either by conducting an investigation, sending out warning letters, doling out fines or taking legal action.
However, only 13 people were actually prosecuted - with 12 of those found guilty fined in court.
It means councils were able to collect £6,574 in court fines in 2019/20 - down from £71,041 the year before.
There were also 419 fixed penalty notices handed out, although the number that were subsequently paid fell to 94.
Nationally, the number of fly tipping incidents rose from 957,157 in 2018/19 to 975,631 in 2019/20, the latest statistics available.