Fly Tipping
A total of 2,633,518 fly tipping incidents were reported by local authorities in England between April 2006 and March 2007 (1.3 million excluding Liverpool City Council). This was a 5% increase on 2005/2006. Around 93% of fly tipping takes place in predominantly urban authorities where 63% of people in England live.
A total of 36,902 fly tipping incidents were reported by local authorities in the South West between April 2006 and March 2007 - giving an average of 3,075 incidents per month. This was just under a 14% increase on the 32,500 reported in 2005/2006. Fly tipping incidents in the region accounted for 1% of the total reported nationally.
Within the South West's counties, the Former Avon area reported 8,513 fly tipping incidents (24% of the regional total) during April 2006 and March 2007. This was the highest number reported by a county in the region, followed by Devon which recorded 6,722 incidents (18% of the regional total). The lowest number of incidents was recorded in Somerset with 4,102 incidents which was closely followed by Dorset with 4,121 incidents (both accounting for 11% of the regional total).
At a local authority level, Bristol City Council recorded 4,605 fly tipping incidents between April 2006 and March 2007, the highest number reported by any local authority in the region and 12% of the South West total. This was followed by Cheltenham with 3,111 incidents or just over 8% of the regional total and Swindon with 2,137 or 6%. With the exception of the Isles of Scilly, which recorded no fly tipping incidents, Weymouth & Portland borough council reported the lowest number of incidents with 128. The cost of clearing up fly tipping corresponded with the total number of incidents reported, with Bristol City facing the highest costs of £230,506 and Cheltenham Borough Council £137,637.
Clearing up these fly tipping incidents cost the region £1,964,305, which was the lowest cost recorded by a region in England. This costs each local authority in the South West region an average of £163,692 per month. The highest costs were found in the Former Avon area with £439,295 - which also recorded the highest number of incidents.
There were 47 prosecutions taken against fly tippers in the South West between April 2006 and March 2007. Although this was the lowest in England, all of these prosecutions were successful. Cornwall had the highest number of prosecutions (36), followed by Devon (9) and Dorset (2).
Household waste was the most likely type of fly tipped waste in the South West between April 2006 and March 2007, with household waste accounting for 37% of all incidents and household bags accounting for 19%
The most common size of reported fly tipping incidents in the South West were of small van load size, accounting for 12,279 incidents or 33% of the regional total. This was followed by car boot size or less with 10,161 incidents or 27% of the total.
With over 1,600 incidents a month (63%), highways were the most common location for fly tipping incidents. This was significantly higher than any those reported on other land types. The next most common place was on council land, which accounted for under 600 incidents (over 18%).
More information about fly tipping is available from the South West Observatory Environment website. Waste and local environmental quality are also indicators used to monitor progress of the Regional Environment Strategy.