Farmers paying cost of fly-tipping, as prosecution rates drop

New figures show there were over 1 million fly-tipping incidents on public land last year, but rural campaigners warn it 'barely scratches the surface' of the crime.

Defra has released its annual figures today, showing that, for the 2022-2023 year, local authorities in England dealt with 1.08 million fly-tipping incidents.

This was a decrease of just one percent from the 1.09 million reported a year prior.

Around 60% of fly-tips involved household waste, while the most common size category for incidents was equivalent to a ‘small van load’.

However, the figures do not cover incidents on private land, with the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) saying these were 'blighting' rural areas.