STORY
Councils could be given powers to require people responsible for fly tipping to carry out up to 20 hours of unpaid clean up work under new Government proposals. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched an eight week consultation on the plans, which would allow local authorities to use conditional cautions to make offenders help clear the areas they have damaged.
The proposals would also allow councils to recover the costs of clearing dumped waste directly from offenders. Ministers say the aim is to speed up enforcement in appropriate cases without requiring lengthy court proceedings, while ensuring that taxpayers are not left paying for the removal of illegally dumped material. The consultation is due to close on 16 October 2026.
The measures follow an increase in the maximum on the spot fine for fly tipping from £1,000 to £5,000. The Government has also announced a new Tackling Waste Crime Alliance bringing together regulators, police, councils and the waste industry, while the Environment Agency is reviewing the level of fixed penalty notices available for waste crime offences.