Almost 40,000 Wales fly-tipping incidents bring 55 fines

Cardiff spent the most on tackling clear-ups - but rubbish is still seen on the city's streets

Clearing fly-tipping in Wales cost £1.83m in the last year, according to latest figures.

In all 39,853 fly-tipping incidents were reported but just 55 fines issued.

Although the number of fly-tipping incidents reported across Wales fell slightly, there was still a rise in 12 local council areas.

Incidents in Wrexham quadrupled and dumping doubled in Ceredigion, although councils put this down partly to improving how tipping is reported.

This is 4% fewer than the previous year and less than recorded during the Covid lockdown period.

But it is 12% more than five years ago, according to the annual figures published by the Welsh government.

Merthyr Tydfil saw fly-tipping drop by more than a third in the year to March, with other big decreases in Carmarthenshire, Gwynedd and Neath Port Talbot.

Compared to five years ago, Flintshire, Newport and Anglesey all saw big rises.

• 'No interest' in dealing with fly-tipping

• No fines despite fly-tipping complaints on rise

The figures also show:

• 70% of incidents involved household waste

• Fly-tipping dumped in significant loads or estimated to have been dumped in multiple trips has increased by two-thirds compared to five years ago

• Single-bag fly-tipping had risen by more than a third in the same period

• 27,373 enforcement actions were taken in Wales, 8% fewer than the previous year

• There were only 59 prosecution outcomes, leading to 55 fines - with Rhondda Cynon Taf and Newport recording the most.

Fly-tipping clear-ups in Wales were estimated to cost £1.83m in 2022-23, although it is less than the £3m of 15 years ago when the problem was at its height.

The most spent was £334,291 in Cardiff - with more than £100,000 alone spent on fly-tipping estimated to be dumped by transit van.

The council has invested more in CCTV.

Councillor Caro Wild, Cardiff's cabinet member for climate change, said: "The enforcement teams continue to tackle offenders who fly-tip and blight our environment through fixed penalty notices and prosecutions.

"With the use of CCTV in hotspot locations our aim is to prosecute offenders who continue to dump illegally".

More than half of dumping happens on the street, 16% on council land and 14% in back alleys.

The figures do not include fly-tipping on private land.

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