9,055 fly-tipping offences across city
Sunderland is one of the biggest fly-tipping hot spots in England, with more than 20 incidents every day on average, according to new figures.
Data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed the scale of the “epidemic” facing councils across the country, with almost a million incidents in England in 2017-18.
In Sunderland, there were 9,055 fly-tipping incidents in the 12 months to March, one of the highest numbers of any local authority in England.
This was an increase of 54% from the previous year.
The most common type of waste dumped in Sunderland was household waste, which accounted for 3,581 incidents, followed by black bags of household rubbish.
Waste was most commonly dumped on back alleyways.
Clearing up the rubbish and taking action against perpetrators is estimated to have cost the council about £849,500 last year.
Councils can take a range of actions against fly-tipCoun ping, from sending warning letters to launching prosecutions.
Last year Sunderland City Council took action on 6,345 occasions, up from 3,558 in 2012-13.
These included launching 5,694 investigations, sending out 458 warning letters, issuing 128 penalty notices, and undertaking one inspections.
It also carried out four prosecutions, which resulted in fines worth £1,100.
Amy Wilson, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This council actively encourages the public and all staff to report all fly-tipping.
“Fly-tipping is unacceptable and the council continues to step up its enforcement work and prosecute those who don’t take responsibility for their waste.
“Recently, some of the council’s fly-tipping prosecutions have been possible because members of the public have recorded and reported what they have seen.”
The figures were released as the Echo continues its Clean Streets campaign, which is calling on Wearsiders to be more responsible for their own waste in an effort to build a cleaner, more inviting and more welcoming city.
Anyone who sees items they think have been flytipped on a street or green space can contact Sunderland City Council by reporting it online at sunderland. gov.uk or by calling 0191 520 5550.