Fly-tipping on the rise in Peterborough as record month recorded

Fly-tipping is on the rise in Peterborough.

Stats recorded by Peterborough City Council have shown a 12% rise in fly-tipping incidents in the city between January and April 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

April was also the biggest month on record with 1085 incidents reported. It took over the record from January 2024, which saw 1068 incidents reported.

Since January 2023, the council has issued 251 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences, taken 55 cases to court; which resulted in 30 warrants issued, ten guilty pleas, eight cases withdrawn and seven proved in absence.

Enforcement is heavily reliant on obtaining evidence at the scene or witnesses who are willing to come forward and provide a statement that can be used in court if required.

In order to pro-actively tackle this issue the council applied for and has been awarded just under £50,000 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as part of a nationwide scheme to target fly-tipping hotspots.

Specifically, the project will focus on two different areas of Peterborough, which are severely impacted by regular and extensive fly-tipping.

Urban areas will include the Central and North ward of the city as well as some more rural areas.

The council employs four officers whose main duties are to enforce environmental crime and other quality of life issues including fly tipping and duty of care offences.

The funding will assist on the creation of a new local delivery team from four partner agencies; the police’s neighbourhood policing teams, the rural crime action team, council officers, those from educational establishments and community leaders.

Fly-tipping is defined at the illegal act of dumping rubbish and according to the council, the most common fly-tipped waste is waste is household waste which can range from a single plastic bag containing debris to larger items such as furniture, white goods, tyres, bathroom suites and hazardous waste such as oil drums and asbestos.

Fly-tippers can be fined up to £50,000 in a Magistrates’ Court, face unlimited fines in the Crown Court, as well as Community Punishment Orders or prison sentences of up to five years