We know that the problem exists, but few people know what to do to about it when it happens to them. To help you deal with fly-tipping on your land, this guide will take you through the ways you can handle fly-tipping and prevent it reoccurring:

Define Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is also known as ‘illegal dumping’ and refers to the act of leaving large volumes of waste on land without using authorised methods (such as kerb collections or a designated rubbish dump). There are many items that can be defined under the banner of fly-tipping, including tyres, mattresses, beds, garden waste, bin bags filled with rubbish, and waste which has come from construction activities.

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The Frequency of Fly-tipping

According to a report by The Daily Telegraph, fly-tipping incidents have increased by over a 20% year-on-year across some council regions. For example, almost 40,000 reported incidents were recorded in the North London district of Haringey between November 2015 and December 2016, with more than 30,000 incidents also reported in Manchester over the same period. This report came about as the result of a freedom of information request from ITV News.

Clearly, fly-tipping has worsened across Britain. Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, stated that: "Fly-tipping is an epidemic, it's reached crisis levels and something needs to be done about it. Local authorities are overwhelmed with instances of criminal fly-tipping and we need to address this urgently."

Even parts of the country where fly-tipping incidents have dropped are still a long way off getting rid of the problem entirely. In Birmingham, for instance, the number of fly-tipping cases were down by 13% between November 2015 and December 2016. However, the figure during this period was still recorded at 21,000 offences.

Scottish residents and land owners are particularly susceptible to the problem, according to James Cuthbertson, an account executive at Lycetts, who found that almost 61,000 fly-tipping incidents are recorded in this country every year.

Cuthbertson added: “The culprits tend to think of this practice as a victimless crime; but estimates put the cost to Scottish tax payers at £8.9 million a year to clear and dispose of tipped rubbish from council land. Farmers and other countryside custodians must meet the cost of clearing rubbish from private land themselves, at an average of £1,000 a time.”

Fly-tipping as a criminal offence

Fly-tipping is a crime — so what are we doing about it? According to BBC figures, a total of 1,602 prosecutions for fly-tipping were carried out across England between 2016 and 2017. What’s more, 98% of prosecutions resulted in a conviction. Also during the same time period, councils across England served 56,000 fixed-penalty notices for fly-tipping.

Evidently, there is a clamp-down on the situation, which should work to help reduce its frequency.

How to handle fly-tipping when it happens to you 

If you’re a victim of fly-tipping and aren’t sure what to do, or just want advice in case it happens to you in the future, the first point you must bear in mind is that you are responsible for the clearing of any rubbish on your property, regardless of who put it there.

When you notice that you have been a victim of fly-tipping, you must try to determine whether the waste is safe or hazardous. Do not touch it if you believe it to be dangerous. For example, bags and drums should not be opened and piles of soil should be a cause for alarm bells as the material could be contaminated or hiding dangerous material.

Rather than clearing the rubbish, log every detail regarding the waste you’ve discovered. This includes where you located it, as well as taking photographs. After all details have been recorded, report the case of fly-tipping to your local authority:

• Report fly-tipping waste by either filling in a simple online form on DumbDumpers.org or contacting Stopline directly by calling 08452 30 40 90, if you live in Scotland.
• Head to gov.uk if you’re a resident of Northern Ireland and find details for the local council. The council will be able to advise on the waste disposal sites and recycling centres based nearby for the safe and legal recycling or disposal of unwanted items.
• Visit this GOV.UK page if you live in England or Wales and report the incident by first entering the postcode where the waste has been discovered.

After reporting the situation, try to prevent other people from getting to the waste any way you can to make sure it isn’t a danger to the public. When it comes to removing the waste, do not take it to a licensed site yourself unless you’re registered as a waste carrier. If hazardous waste has been identified, it should only be carried and disposed of by someone who is licensed to deal with it.

Is someone else removing the fly-tipped waste? If so, make sure to get appropriate documentation — it should include details about the waste and those who are taking it away — and keep all information about clearance and disposal costs safe, as these can be recovered in the event a successful prosecution is made against the crime committed.

And remember, fly-tipping is a crime and those who do it are criminals. Never approach someone who is fly-tipping on your land. Instead immediately call 999 and then make a note the number of people involved, descriptions of their appearances, details about the waste being fly-tipped, and information about any vehicles used — this includes the makes of the vehicles, their colours and their registration numbers (if you can make them out).

Cuthbertson added: “In the event you wake one morning to find the midnight cowboys have paid you a visit, if the problem is severe, it is worth consulting with your insurance broker. Most farm combined policies will cover the cost of removal and disposal, less an excess. In the event of a major fly-tipping incident, you could be very glad the cover is in place.”

Protecting your land

Are you looking to prevent fly-tipping, rather than handle it after the damage is done? If so, there are ways you can try to avoid being a victim of fly-tipping. Installing gates that are always closed and locked when not in use will help to restrict access to your property and its land, as will strategically placing physical barriers around the perimeter so that vehicles are unable to get through — think earth mounds, boulders and tree trunks placed closely to each other around your land.

Nobody wants to be caught for their crime and fly-tippers are the same. Therefore, work on improving visibility all around your property and its land. Make sure high-quality exterior lighting is installed and in working condition, and set up CCTV cameras and appropriate signs alerting people of the technology’s presence.

Repercussions of fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is taken seriously in the UK. Anyone who does it can receive an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment! However, it is also important to note that those who permit fly-tipping to take place on their land or any land that they rent will also be committing a fly-tipping offence.

However, could more be done? “Fines of up to £40,000 can be imposed but, given budgetary constraints, the pursuit of fly-tippers is well down the list of priorities of councils and the police. Furthermore, it is hard to gather evidence to bring a successful prosecution,” said Cuthbertson.

Evidently, it’s important that you know how to prevent the risk of fly-tipping occurring on your property and handle the situation effectively, if it does.

This article was created by farm estate insurance providers, Lycetts.