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Fly-tipping down by over a quarter, council says

Martin HeathBuckinghamshire political reporter
News imageMartin Heath/BBC Johnny Luk wearing a white shirt and dark trousers crouches beside a small pile of discarded black plastic panels and rubble on a grassy verge next to shrubs. A paved path runs behind the bushes in an outdoor landscaped area.Martin Heath/BBC
Johnny Luk said Milton Keynes needed to get fly-tipping under control

Fly-tipping across a city has fallen by more than a quarter in the last five years, a council has said.

Milton Keynes City Council reported that incidents had reduced by almost 27% since a fly-tipping action plan was introduced.

The plan has now been updated with new measures, including higher penalties for larger offences and seizure of vehicles involved in waste crimes.

Johnny Luk, a Conservative councillor, has welcomed the update but has questioned the figures.

The council, which is run by a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition, said its success in reducing fly-tipping had been due to targeted enforcement, community engagement and investigating to gather evidence for prosecutions.

Luk said: "The numbers could result from less reporting because people might have lost faith in reporting.

"If you look at the amount of fines being issued, which are in the tens, I would say per quarter compared to the thousands [of incidents] overall per year, then I would argue that the ratio between fining and actually fly-tipping is quite skewed and we to work on that."

News imageJohnny Luk A brick-built bin store beside a residential building is overflowing with rubbish, with black refuse sacks, wooden planks and other waste piled high and spilling out through an open door onto the pavement. A second bin store door remains closed.Johnny Luk
Residents said people from elsewhere had dumped their rubbish outside this bin store

The authority's refreshed action plan includes:

  • Higher penalties for larger-scale offences
  • Seizing vehicles involved in waste crimes
  • Focusing resources on areas particularly affected by fly-tipping
  • Work to tackle littering from vehicles, flyposting and graffiti
News imageSam Read/BBC Jennifer Wilson-Marklew with light-coloured hair stands on a residential street lined with red-brick houses. The person is wearing a patterned coat over a checked top and a pendant necklace. The background is softly blurred, showing house windows and a narrow pathway between the buildings.Sam Read/BBC
Jennifer Wilson-Marklew said the improved action plan would help the worst-affected areas

Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, the Labour cabinet member for the public realm, said: "Fly-tipping blights neighbourhoods, damages our environment and carries significant costs to clear up.

"This refreshed plan builds on what has worked well and introduces new measures to help us target the most prolific offenders and the areas most affected by illegal dumping."

News imageThe Parks Trus A large pile of fly-tipped waste is dumped on vegetation beside a wooded area. The heap includes broken plasterboard, timber, cardboard, plastic bags, packaging, a door and other construction and household debris.The Parks Trus
Parks and residential areas in Milton Keynes have been targeted by fly-tippers

Luk also said he was worried the fly-tipping issue may have an impact on Milton Keynes's ambitions for the future.

"We are trying to become the City of Culture in 2029 - a bid that I fully support.

"But if we can't get the basics right, which includes keeping our streets clean and tidy, then I think we're going to miss the opportunity," he said.

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