The tip of the iceberg
RUSHMOOR and Hart shared mixed fortunes as the number of flytipping incidents across Hampshire rose by 0.8% in 2022/23, compared to the previous year.
In all, there were 21,873 incidents in the county last year following a reported 21,691 the year before, with many people still getting away with committing the crime.
Rushmoor saw a positive 22.7% fall in cases last year, recording 432 incidents compared to 559 the previous year. However, Hart had a 20.7% increase in fly-tipping incidents, rising from 1,034 to 1,248
Neighbouring Surrey recorded a 2% drop in recorded incidents, from 17,622 cases in total in 2021/22 to 17,257 last year.
The newly-released figures from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) show there were more than a million incidents of fly-tipping on public land in the last year – and more than 100,000 in the South East alone.
Councils in England dealt with 1.08m fly-tipping incidents in 2022/2023, though these figures only account for waste illegally dumped on public land that has been reported to the authorities.
Representing around 27,000 rural businesses across England and Wales, the Country Land & Business
Association (CLA) believes these figures only tell a fraction of the story.
It says fly-tipping incidents also occur on privately-owned land, painting an even more damaging picture of the financial burden and environmental impact the crime brings. One CLA member, it claims, is so badly affected, he pays £50,000 a year to clear up waste.
Meanwhile the figures also show a 19% drop in the number of fixed penalty notices issued.
Simon Porter, who farms in Crondall, has experienced a series of incidents, and said: “Fly-tipping in the countryside is still a major issue and takes up time and effort in either liaising with local councils or clearing up and disposing of the rubbish ourselves. Once again, this Christmas has seen a resurgence of black bin liners filled with household waste of all types being thrown out of cars along some of our country lanes and in the gateways. Builders’ rubbish being dumped would be the next major cause of fly-tipping in this part of Hampshire.”
CLA South East represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses. Its regional director Tim Bamford, said: “These flytipping figures barely scratch the surface of a crime that’s blighting rural communities, with incidents on private land going unrecorded on a mass scale. Farmers and landowners bear the cost of removing rubbish and they pay on average £1,000 to remove waste. This is not a victimless crime – in some cases they have paid up to £100,000 to clear up other people’s mess or risk facing prosecution themselves.
“It’s not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous – even including asbestos and chemicals – endangering farmers, wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment.
“While courts can sentence offenders to prison or unlimited fines, prosecutions are rare and criminals clearly do not fear the system. We are calling for local authorities to help clear fly-tipping incidents on private as well as public land, while the various enforcement agencies must be properly trained and resourced. Without more progress farmers, not the criminals, will continue to pay the price.”