Council cracks down on fly-tipping with fines and patrols

The council says 851 people were issued with FPNs for fly-tipping in the month up to 28 June, compared to 353 the month before

A north-west London council has started a new scheme to tackle fly-tipping, which has led to a 141% increase in fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued in a month.

As part of the initiative, Brent Council said it had employed more patrol teams, which can issue fines of up to £1,000.

The council said 851 people had been issued with FPNs for fly-tipping in the month up to 27 June, compared to 353 the month before.

It comes after Brent recorded the highest number of fly-tipping incidents of any England borough in the 2022-23 year, recording 35,000 incidents.

CCTV cameras installed

The local authority said in the 2023-24 year, dealing with fly-tipping had cost local taxpayers more than £1.5m, which it argued could have been spent on important frontline services.

The hundreds of FPNs issued under the Don't Mess With Brent campaign include 10 notices for a recent "mass-scale fly-tipping event on a site in Bridge Park", which the council said were issued after teams traced rubbish back to properties across London.

CCTV cameras have also been installed in fly-tipping hotspots in the borough and "wanted" posters have been put up asking members of the public for information on specific incidents.

More than half of all the FPNs issued under the scheme had already been paid, the council added.

Councillor Krupa Sheth, Brent Council's cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said: “Like most residents, the council has simply had enough.

"Our borough is beautiful and most of us take huge pride in our public spaces.

“We would prefer not to have to issue fines. However, we hope that this increase in penalties serves as a warning to anyone considering using our streets as their personal waste bin.”

The council is calling on residents to be responsible when they dispose of rubbish including by:

• Using the borough's free community skip service or small items collection service

• Taking waste to the borough's household recycling centre

• Donating to charity where applicable

• Using licensed waste collection companies, which can provide an official waste transfer note