EXCLUSIVE: Less than half of fly-tipping fines in Peterborough paid - despite 9,000 investigations in two years
Less than half of the fines handed out for fly-tipping in Peterborough have been paid in the past year, The Peterborough Telegraph can reveal.
Between September 2023 to August 2025, 400 fixed penalty notices were handed out for fly-tipping in the city – but just 151 were paid.
There were also 143 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) issued for Householder and Commercial Duty of Care offences, 69 of which were paid.
Alongside the FPNs There were 24 fly tipping prosecutions and 8 householder duty of care prosecutions.
The biggest fine handed out was £500, issued by the court.
During that period of time, there were 21,269 incidents of fly tipping and 9,303 fly tipping investigations.
It is a criminal offence if fixed penalty notices are not paid and if there is no payment then the council will take action to progress the matter to the Magistrates Court.
“People want to see tougher and faster action against offenders"
Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: “Fly-tipping is unacceptable, it spoils our communities and shows complete disregard for residents who take pride in where they live. It’s not a victimless crime, it costs taxpayers money, harms community spirit, and undermines the council’s efforts to keep our streets and public spaces clean.
“People want to see tougher and faster action against offenders, especially those who ignore fixed penalty notices. Penalties must be a real deterrent, not just a warning that can be brushed aside without consequence. That means consistent follow-up on unpaid fines, stronger collaboration between the council, enforcement teams and the courts, and smarter use of CCTV and local intelligence to catch offenders.
“Ultimately, tackling fly-tipping takes both firm enforcement and community responsibility. Everyone has a duty to dispose of their waste properly and we owe it to residents who do the right thing to make sure those who don’t are held to account.”
“Fly tipping blights our communities and leaves residents rightly frustrated"
North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling said: “Fly tipping blights our communities and leaves residents rightly frustrated. Too often, people who dump rubbish or refuse to pay fines simply get away with it - and that’s not fair on the vast majority who take pride in keeping their area clean and safe.
“We need a system that actually works: one that makes it easier to trace offenders, take swift enforcement action, and stop criminals operating with impunity. That’s why I’m really pleased to see tougher action being taken nationally by our Labour Government - including plans to seize and crush vehicles used for fly-tipping, carry out identity and criminal checks on rogue operators, and strengthen local councils’ enforcement powers.
“These measures are a welcome step forward, but they’ll only make a difference if local authorities have the resources and capacity to use them. I’ll continue pushing to make sure councils like ours have the support they need to crack down on fly tipping and keep our streets, parks, and rural spaces clean.”
"Taking action on fly tipping is part of our commitment to give everyone in Peterborough a safe, attractive place to live.”
Peterborough City Council said that they can only issue an FPN if there is evidence linking this waste to a person or business, therefore not all reports of fly tipping will result in an FPN.
In cases where FPNs are issued, there is an opportunity for an appeal to be submitted. This often extends the deadline that an FPN needs to be paid by, and if the appeal is successful then this case would not go to prosecution.
Even within the cases that go to prosecution, these can often take a long time to be heard in court and there is a limited availability of court dates, which is out of the council’s control.
Councillor Angus Ellis, cabinet member for environment and transport for Peterborough City Council, said: “It’s essential that we respect our environment and work to keep our city clean. Taking action on fly tipping is part of our commitment to give everyone in Peterborough a safe, attractive place to live.”
“We routinely investigate fly tipping and follow the proper processes to prosecute when necessary.”