Petition calls for tougher approach to curb issue of rural fly-tipping

Farmers are being encouraged to sign a government petition which aims to impose a harsher penalty on fly-tippers, especially those who dump waste in the countryside.  

The petition argues that the fixed penalty fines introduced in May this year, which allow local authorities to charge up to £400, are not severe enough.  

In 2014-15 alone, Defra recorded that local authorities had to deal with 900,000 instances of fly-tipping.  

The petition says that the issue of fly-tipping is even worse in rural areas, and that it is 'obvious to all that organised criminals have become involved and are profiting from fly-tipping'.  

Fly-tipping or illegal waste dumping has become a real issue, especially in open countryside. Private farmland has also been targeted by fly-tippers, and it is then the farmer or landowner who has to foot the bill for cleaning up the waste.  

Those charged with the responsibility of looking after the countryside have had to fork out for the cost of clearing the fly-tipped waste.  

The Woodland Trust UK operations director, Norman Starks, said: 'Fly-tipping is an illegal activity that currently costs us tens of thousands of pounds each year to clear up.'

The number of fly-tipping incidents have risen recently, due in part to higher charges at household waste depots run by the council.  

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Farming UK