THERE were more than 50,000 reported incidents of fly-tipping in the South West last year, new figures show.

Released by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the figures show that councils in England dealt with 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents in 2023/2024, an increase of six percent on the previous year.

In the South West, there were 51,175 reported incidents of fly-tipping – an increase of nearly two and a half percent.

However, the actually figure is likely much higher as the figures do not take into account incidents of fly-tipping that occur on private land.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) certainly thinks so, saying that the true volume is higher than the statistics suggest.

The organisation says thousands of offences go unrecorded every year, as farmers often have so little faith in the ability of the police or council to deal with fly-tipping that they simply bear the cost of removing rubbish themselves.

CLA Regional Director for the South West, Ann Maidment, said: ‘Right now, the situation remains grim with incidents of fly-tipping remaining worryingly high.

‘If every occurrence of this rural crime was recorded when it happened on private land, it would paint an even more damaging picture of the financial burden and environmental impact fly-tipping brings.

‘It’s not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous endangering farmers, wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment.

‘When fly-tipping occurs on private land, landowners have to pay to clear the waste out of their own pockets, or face being prosecuted themselves.

‘The cost can run into thousands of pounds.

‘When they are the victim of a crime, how is this right?

‘Our call to government and local authorities is simple - to help clear fly-tipping incidents on private as well as public land.’