Fly-tipping: Surrey reported cases down

Farmer Steve Conisbee says he has had all sorts of rubbish dumped in his field

The number of fly-tipping cases reported across Surrey has decreased over a year to just over 17,200, new government figures show.

However, Reigate & Banstead, saw the highest figures in the county with 7,887 incidents of fly-tipping - an increase of 417 from the previous year.

The council issued 41 fixed penalty fines with no fly-tippers being taken to court.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Speaking to BBC Radio Surrey, farmer Steve Conisbee said: "Fly-tipping comes in many forms. We've had eight-wheeler lorries reversing into fields and people throwing grass cuttings into the field.

"We probably have one case of it every month," he said.

"One of our sites is close to Leatherhead's tip and if people miss the opening times, they just come to the site and dump whatever they were going to throw away - freezers, fridges, mattresses."

Across Surrey, 17,200 incidents of fly-tipping were recorded in the 2022-23 period, down from 17,662 the previous year, figures from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) show.

Mr Conisbee added: "To stop fly-tipping, there need to be more deterrents, and recycling centres need to be more accessible."

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