CROYDON is home to the most fly-tipping incidents, new research has revealed.
London accounts for eight of the top 10 while Nottingham and Liverpool rank as the worst offenders outside of the capital.
London lettings and estate agent Benham and Reeves analysed the latest government figures across every local authority in England.
The figures show that more than 1.1 million incidents of fly-tipping took place in 2023/24.
This marked a 6.2 per cent increase on the previous year and the second consecutive annual increase recorded.
The London Borough of Croydon was home to the most fly-tipping incidents in the nation at 35,470 per year.
Camden was the second worst offender with 34,786 followed by Hackney (33,464).
Other London boroughs to make the top 10 included Lewisham (27,599), Hounslow (27,241), Brent (27,023), Westminster (25,531) and Southwark (22,912).
Outside of the capital, Nottingham was home to the highest number with 30,511 cases reported annually – the fourth highest across England.
Liverpool also made the top 10 at number 10 with 20,003 cases reported annually.
London may be home to the highest volume of incidents, but Huntingdonshire in the East of England saw the sharpest increase with a 167 per cent jump versus the previous year.
Cannock Chase and Wyre Forest in the West Midlands have also seen considerable increases at 92 per cent and 90 per cent respectively along with Hillingdon (+83 per cent) and Fenland (+82 per cent).
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, said: “Fly-tipping has become an increasingly common problem and one that is a huge drain on council funds and resources that could be far better spent in other areas, simply because some people in society can’t be make the effort to dispose of their residential or commercial waste via the appropriate channels.
“It’s also a real eye sore and whilst it may be largely focused in remote or rural areas in order to avoid being caught, it can still act as a considerable deterrent to homebuyers.
“The good news is that we have seen the government act in recent years to give councils greater powers to combat the issue, increasing the size of fines issued.”
It comes after residents spoke of their horror after their streets were invaded by monster rats the size of cats.
Total number of fly-tipping incidents reported by year
- Croydon, London – 35,470
- Camden, London – 34,786
- Hackney, London – 33,464
- City of Nottingham, East Midlands – 30,511
- Lewisham, London – 27,599
- Hounslow, London – 27,241
- Brent, London – 27,023
- City of Westminster, London – 25,531
- Southwark, London – 22,912
- Liverpool, North West- 20,003
Locals in Birmingham say they are being plagued by the rodents more than ever due to the ongoing bin strikes, an increase in fly-tipping and HS2 building work.
The infestation is leaving car owners with pricey repair bills as rats have been chomping through wires and cables after nesting under the bonnets.
Other homeowners say they have found them nesting in their wheelie bins and believe the problem is getting “out of control” across the city.
Residents in Washwood Heath say their area has become a rat hotspot.
Kim Blakeman said: “The rats are huge – they are like small cats and their tails are really chunky.
“You can see rats jumping out of cars. I opened my bonnet last week and found a load of rat droppings inside.”
Meanwhile a shocking picture showed 20 tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish on a main road.
The waste was dumped at 8.34pm on February 5 covering one lane of Brentwood Road in Essex between The Halfway House and Thorndon Country Park.
And locals described being trapped inside their homes by a giant 80ft mountain of rotting rubbish.
The mound of industrial waste, which is longer than two double-decker buses combined, was dumped on Watery Lane in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
Is fly-tipping illegal?
Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence for which you can be prosecuted.
The courts have various powers available to them to tackle fly-tipping, including imprisonment, unlimited fines and an order to deprive rights to a vehicle used to commit the offence.
Fly-tipping is defined as the “illegal deposit of any waste on to land that does not have a licence to accept it”.
Tipping a mattress, electrical items or a bin bag full of rubbish in the street causes a local nuisance and makes an area look ugly and run down.
At the larger end of the scale, fly-tipping can involve several truckloads of construction and demolition waste being tipped on different types of land.
Uncontrolled illegal waste disposal can be hazardous to the public, especially if it contains toxic material or asbestos.
There could be a risk of damage to watercourses and soil quality from the dumped waste.
