Increased fines for fly-tipping to come into force

Thanet District Council is increasing maximum fines for dumping rubbish to £1,000 from 1 April

The maximum fine for fly-tipping in Thanet is set to more than double from April.

Thanet District Council (TDC) agreed to increase the upper limit for fixed penalty notices from £400 to £1,000 in February in an attempt to deter people from illegally dumping waste.

The new regulations come into force on 1 April.

A TDC spokesperson said individuals are "responsible for ensuring that waste is disposed of correctly, without causing harm to the environment".

Thanet deals with over 5,000 complaints about dumped rubbish a year and conducts daily patrols of known hot spots across the district, a council spokesperson said.

Business owners must use a commercial waste carrier to dispose of the waste their business generates, according to TDC rules.

Residents must use registered waste carriers to dispose of any household waste that cannot be collected by the council.

The council said it provided a bulky waste collection service to enable people to dispose of larger items.

Councillor Heather Keen, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at TDC, said: We take all reports of fly-tipping seriously and will take action against anyone who is found to have dumped rubbish illegally.

“Fines are a necessary last resort. It would be much better if people didn’t fly-tip in the first place."