Council backs £1,000 fines to tackle fly-tipping

Fly-tipped waste pictured in Bradford earlier this year

People caught fly-tipping will be fined up to £1,000 after councillors backed an increase to penalty charges in a bid to tackle the "blight on our communities".

Bradford Council's Executive approved proposals to more than double the previous £400 limit on Tuesday.

Under the new rules people caught dumping hazardous and commercial waste will pay £1,000, while a car boot full of waste will lead to a £400 fine and people dumping a single item will be fined £150.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, executive for healthy people and places, said: "Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities and is just not acceptable [and] it isn't acceptable that the burden of fly-tipping falls on Council Tax payers."

She said the council would also continue to take fly-tippers to court and to crush vehicles found illegally dumping waste.

"People expect us to do everything we can to solve the issue, and this is us doing that," she added.

Amjad Ishaq, environmental services manager, said the rise would be accompanied by measures to make it easier to correctly dispose of rubbish, such as increasing the cap on how much DIY waste can go to council tips.

The council will also increase "household duty of care" fines – given to people who use unlicensed waste handlers – from £250 to £400, while fines for littering will be set at £150, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ferriby added: "If someone is saying they can get rid of your waste for next to nowt, it is probably too good to be true. You need to check their permits."

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