There have been more than 2,000 incidents of fly-tipping in Windsor and Maidenhead in 2020/21, figures have revealed. The areas of the borough affected by the crime the most are highways and footpaths, with 894 and 999 incidents respectively on these plots of land, which contributed to the overall figure of 2,034. The Royal Borough has taken action in response a total of 2,226 times during this period - 2,034 of which were investigation actions, 155 fixed penalty notices, 21 warning letters and 16 statutory notices. However, of the 155 FPNs, the data shows that none of these have been paid. Nationally, the figures, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), show that incidents of fly-tipping on public land have increased by 16 per cent across England in 2020/2021. Councils dealt with 1.13million fly-tipping incidents during this period as recycling centres shut during the pandemic and enforcement staff were furloughed. Neighbouring Slough saw more total incidents during 2020/21 - 2,821 - but action was only taken 112 times, including 79 investigations and eight FPNs issued. However, unlike RBWM, a total of four of these fines were paid by fly-tippers in Slough. In Buckinghamshire, 3,954 incidents of fly-tipping occurred as per the DEFRA data, with more than half of these taking place on the highway. A total of 3,743 actions were taken by Buckinghamshire Council - including 3,644 investigations, 26 warning letters and 34 FPNs. There were also 34 actions of prosecution in Bucks - resulting in a cost to the local authority of £24,099. A total of 15 FPNs were paid - while 32 court fines were settled up by guilty fly-tippers in the county. The Country Land & Business Association (CLA) believes these figures only tell half of the story, adding that tougher penalties should be issued for fly-tipping to discourage the 'disgraceful behaviour'. CLA South East represents farmers, landowners and rural businesses in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Regional director Tim Bamford said: “These figures do not tell the full story of this disgraceful behaviour which blights our beautiful countryside. "The figures do not reflect the true scale of the crime because increasing reports of fly-tipping on private rural land are not included. “Fly-tipping continues to wreck the lives of many of us living and working in the countryside – and significant progress needs to be made to stop it. "It’s not just the odd bin bag but large household items, from unwanted sofas to broken washing machines, building materials and even asbestos being dumped across our countryside. “Unless tougher or more realistic action is taken to combat this kind of rural crime, it will continue to wreak devastation across rural communities. This is why it’s crucial that tougher punishments are imposed by the courts.” DEFRA said: "Fly-tipping is a crime, a significant blight on local environments; a source of pollution; a potential danger to public health; a hazard to wildlife, and a nuisance. "It also undermines legitimate waste businesses where unscrupulous operators undercut those operating within the law." Click here to view the Government figures in full.
