Fly-tipping is a scourge that needs to be dealt with robustly by the Government. The rise in criminals dumping waste and leaving our communities to clean up is not acceptable.

The reason why this has become a persistent problem is down to the fact that criminals have been emboldened by the lack of meaningful response to their criminality.

A House of Lords committee identified fly-tipping as the “new narcotics”, being run by organised crime groups. This should be a wake up call for the Government as to the seriousness of the matter. The committee urged the Government to set up a root and branch review of waste crime.

Fly-tipping should not just be viewed as a nuisance. Rather it needs to be taken far more seriously. There is a need for far better enforcement when tackling the scourge of fly-tipping.

placeholder image — Rubbish dumped on the side of the road.

The committee highlighted multiple failures by the Environment Agency, the ineffectiveness of its Joint Unit for Waste Crime and a lack of interest shown by the police in tackling the problem.

Fly-tipping has been on the increase in Yorkshire. Quite often it is rural communities that bear the brunt of this criminality. Farmers find themselves having to clear up other people’s mess. That is not on. Especially given all the pressures they already face.

The cross-party Environment and Climate Change Committee has also called on the Government to establish a single telephone number and online reporting tool for the public to report waste crime. And for the Joint Unit for Waste Crime to improve collaboration between bodies with responsibility for waste crime at a local level.

The environmental, social and economic costs of fly-tipping are around £1bn every year. Ignoring fly-tipping is not an option.