Call for action as Central Bedfordshire hit by fly tipping epidemic

Central Bedfordshire faced a record number of fly-tipping incidents last year, new figures show.

Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show there were 2,509 fly-tipping incidents in Central Bedfordshire in the year to March 2023 – a slight increase from 2,485 in 2021-22 and the highest figure since records began in 2012-13. This meant there were 8.3 incidents per 1,000 people in the area.

In Central Bedfordshire, most fly-tipped waste was discovered on highways, accounting for 68% of recorded incidents. This was followed by 19% on council land. The largest proportion of discarded waste was household waste, making up 48% of all incidents.

Experts are calling on the Government to review sentencing guidelines, introduce bigger fines and “even jail ‘professional fly-tippers’ when they are caught”.

Across England, local authorities dealt with slightly fewer incidents in 2022-23 – 1.08 million compared with 1.09 million in 2021-22. However, environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy warned the number of 'tipper lorry load’ size or larger incidents has increased by 13%.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “It is time for the public and our justice system to say ‘enough is enough’ and tackle the selfish vandals who are trashing our environment for profit.