Protect the environment

In the light of the recent revelation from Defra that there were 1.13 million individual fly-tipping incidents reported by councils in England in 202021, we are renewing our call for concerted action by all those who have a role to play in tackling an environmental crime that blights our environment and costs millions of pounds to clear up.

We fully expected the fly-tipping figures to rise significantly this year due to a combination of factors caused by the pandemic and last year’s spring lockdown.

These figures are still incredibly disappointing and we, as a country, need to do more to educate the public about how to get rid of unwanted stuff safely and legally.

We also need to take a long, hard look at the licensing scheme for waste carriers to make sure it is fit for purpose and then, for those who are fly-tipping for profit, catch and prosecute them for trying to turn our country into one giant rubbish dump to make a quick buck.

If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that the environment on our doorstep is vitally important to us all and needs our protection.

Those who would abuse it for their own ends should face the full force of the law.

There is no doubt that it has been an extraordinary 18 months but as we move forward and think about "building back greener” we must surely start with protecting our environment from this vandalism.

If we can’t do that, then what hope is there for tackling the global challenges that we face? Allison Ogden-Newton, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive.