Huntingdonshire: Fly-tipping cases amount to £3,500 in costs

Government figures found the costs relate to 1,247 total cases in the district between 2021 and last year. 

However, the total amount in fines for these offences came to £3,300. 

A spokesperson for Huntingdonshire District Council [HDC] said: “When HDC presents a case for prosecution, extensive photographic evidence of the fly-tip is provided to the court to demonstrate the severity of the offence.  

“[This is] as well as the impact that the fly-tip has had on the countryside and the community due to its size and contents.” 

The spokesperson said this information helps to justify the financial costs against fly-tipping suspects and the punishment for those offenders. 

“Unfortunately, the severity of fly-tipping is not always recognised and the sentencing is disproportionate to the impact,” said the spokesperson. 

Most fly-tipping incidents in Huntingdonshire took place on highways, footpaths and bridleways with 487 cases of waste dumped in small van loads, the most prominent waste size. 

HDC said due to the district’s rural location, there is “little chance for eyewitnesses of fly-tipping offences. 

“HDC experience approximately 1,200 incidents of fly-tipping across the district year on year; therefore 1,247 fly tips for 2021-22 would be an expected number,” the council spokesperson said. 

READ MORE: Fly-tipping cases in East Cambridgeshire continue to fall

Between 2021-22, just six out of 16 fixed penalty notices issued were linked to fly-tipping in Huntingdonshire. 

However, HDC believe this form of punishment “has been shown to be an effective way of resolving the enforcement of these offences promptly, without further burdening the courts.” 

Methods such as warning signage, joint operations with police and investigation or enforcement action are being taken by HDC to tackle fly-tipping. 

The spokesperson added: “We find fly tip numbers balance out within an acceptable variance of difference year on year.”