Council reveals increase in fly-tipping

Rubbish and old appliances dumped in an alley in Northampton

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to a council has revealed fly-tipping in its area has gone up.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) released figures showing it dealt with 17,227 reports of fly-tipping - an average of 47 per day - in the 12 months from July 2023, up from 16,668 the previous year.

The FOI - submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) - also found the council's top 10 worst fly-tipped streets were all in Northampton.

WNC said it spent about £3m each year to keep public land clear of litter and fly-tipping.

A mattress dumped in Greatmeadow, one of the streets named in Northampton's fly-tipping top ten

The figures revealed the five council wards with the most fly-tipping were also in Northampton.

Castle ward, in the centre of Northampton, was the worst, with 3,343 reports.

Danielle Stone, a WNC Labour councillor, said: “The ward councillors in Castle ward report fly tipping all the time and are really fed up with it.

"It reflects badly on the town, on the council, and sits badly with regeneration schemes.”

Jamal Alwahbi, also a Labour councillor representing Castle ward, said: “We have suggested solutions to WNC on many occasions, but they just don’t listen.

"More neighbourhood wardens with smaller areas to look after would help.

“Providing landlords with efficient collection services could alleviate some of the waste management issues," he said.

Fines increase

Fines for fly-tipping have risen. The highest penalty in Northampton is now £1,000, up from £400.

A WNC spokesperson said it worked with partner organisations "to try to tackle the ongoing issues in these locations and allocate our limited resources to the areas most in need.

“We will continue to take enforcement action where we have robust evidence to do so.

"Residents can support this work by disposing of their waste correctly and by providing us with statements and evidence, such as ring doorbell video footage or other information."

WNC said it operated a collection service for residents who wanted to get rid of large household items.