County's fly-tipping fines set to rise to £1,000

The council said it wanted to cut fly-tipping by 20%

A local authority has approved plans to increase fly-tipping fines from £400 to £1,000, in a bid to reduce nuisance waste.

The measures by Northumberland County Council include leaving crime scene tape at some dumping hotspots in order to highlight the illegal act.

By the end of the 2025-26 financial year, the Conservative-led authority wants to cut instances of the crime by 20% from its current rate.

It has been approached for comment about when the new measures will come into force.

Under the plans, the fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping will go up from £400 to £1,000, which would be cut to £750 if paid within seven days.

The council said the number of illegal tips had risen by 10% from 4,028 in 2022-23, to 4,429 last year.

As part of its push to fight back against the problem, it suggested it would leave crime scene tape after illegal waste was removed from some sites.

This would highlight "what some people have begun to see as normal in hotspot areas is in fact illegal", officials wrote in documents published prior to Tuesday's council meeting

It said it would then promote the images on social media.