Fly-tipping hotspots in Fenland help clock up £75,000 bill

Out of 1,062 total incidents between 2021-22, 881 were highways-related according to government figures. 

“In our experience, fly-tippers use vehicles to transport unwanted waste,” a spokesperson for Fenland District Council (FDC) said.  

“The highway presents an opportunity to travel along, find a secluded spot before unloading and driving away quickly.” 

Where are the most prominent areas for fly-tipping in Fenland? 

In a Freedom of Information request [FOI] sent by this publication, FDC found some of the fly-tipping hotspots in the district include:  

- Sixteen Foot Bank near Christchurch;  

- Graysmoor Drove and Station Road in Coldham; 

- Belt Drove, Friday Bridge; 

- The Bank and Harold’s Bank, Parson Drove; 

- Rummers Lane, Wisbech St Mary. 

Most waste that was fly-tipped in 2021-22 was in small van loads with 336 incidents, government data showed. 

FDC said that teams have dealt with fly-tipping, as well as other roles such as litter bin emptying, street sweeping and public toilet management. 

Fenland District Council have identified several locations where fly-tipping has commonly taken place. (Image: Alan Wheeldon)

How much has the fly-tipping cost? 

In an FOI, the amount estimated by FDC has drifted into thousands of pounds, although it is unclear if the cost includes other years as well as 2021-22. 

A council spokesperson said: “We have estimated previously the total cost of fly-tipping in Fenland as a proportion of the total work completed by the team in the region of £75,000 per annum. 

“The levels seen do not increase our collection costs directly but may increase the costs of the county council who pay for the disposal of the materials.” 

Government figures for 2021-22 found that Fenland recorded 11 tipper lorry load incidents, which cost £1,750 to collect. 

In fact, for this time period, four fixed penalty notices of nine issued for fly-tipping cases were paid, with those who did not pay were referred for prosecution.

The district council has reported reductions in the number of fly-tipping cases. (Image: Contributed)

What has the trend in fly-tipping been like in Fenland? 

FDC reported a drop in fly-tipping incidents last year compared to during the Covid pandemic. 

“Historically our fly-tipping incidents have been fairly static with more recent incidents from 2018-20 showing overall reductions,” a council spokesperson said. 

“We had our highest levels recorded in 2021, which we have attributed to the unique circumstances of lockdown.” 

But last year, the council found that the number of cases dropped back to pre-pandemic levels. 

According to government figures, Fenland recorded more fly-tipping cases for 2021-22 than other districts such as East Cambridgeshire [610] but lower than Huntingdonshire [1,247]. 

READ MORE: Man fined £300 after being linked to fly-tipping

What is being done to tackle fly-tipping? 

In Fenland, 475 actions against fly-tipping were taken between 2021-22, with 441 of these being under investigation. 

FDC say its team of staff aim to remove any waste that has been fly-tipped within 24 hours, such as from areas that are commonly used for disposing waste. 

A council spokesperson said its team of officers attend “as many incidents as possible to look for any evidence found at the scene. 

“And [the team aims] to engage with residents and businesses for intelligence on who may be responsible.” 

READ MORE: Volunteers clean up 65 bags of rubbish after ‘unrelenting’ fly-tipping

Other ways such as working with partners, making sites used for fly-tipping less attractive for possible suspects and regular monitoring of sites are being looked at by FDC. 

Clean-up action days are also being promoted. 

“We do not have a ‘target’ for fly tipping incidents,” the council spokesperson added.  

“Instead, we are reactive to issues on the ground and adopt a proactive approach in pursuing those responsible.”