Fly-tipping costs taxpayers almost £500k a year

Hull City Council said it had dealt with 16,625 fly-tipping incidents in the past year

Fly-tipping incidents in Hull are costing the council almost half a million pounds a year to tackle, officials have said.

Hull City Council (HCC) said 16,625 instances of fly-tipping had been recorded in the last 12 months which had cost taxpayers more than £486,000 to clean-up.

The authority said anyone caught fly-tipping in Hull would be fined £1,000 and prosecution carries unlimited fines, imprisonment, or both.

Councillor Charles Quinn, portfolio holder for environment at HCC, said: "Fly-tipping has a real impact in Hull and is a deep source of frustration for our residents."

Fly-tipping across England costs millions of pounds every year to clean up, HCC said.

The authority said it responds to fly-tipping reports made by the public, as well as clearing it away and looking to identify those responsible and then taking enforcement action.

'Rogue traders'

Quinn said: "Not only is it a blight on our local environment, with everything from refrigerators to asbestos dumped near schools, it costs taxpayers thousands in clean–up costs – money that could otherwise be spent on other essential council services.

"Our teams work tirelessly to tackle the problem, but we need our community's help to stop it at the source."

Hull City Council has joined up with campaign group Keep Britain Tidy to highlight the scale and impact of fly-tipping, and to educate residents on how to protect themselves from it.

Dr Anna Scott, director of services at Keep Britain Tidy, said: "Councils are on the frontline of the fight against fly-tipping, responding day in, day out to clear dumped waste and keep our public spaces safe and clean.

"By making simple checks before handing over waste and always getting a receipt, people can protect themselves from rogue traders, stop organised criminal networks in their tracks and help ensure public money is spent where it's needed most."

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