Fines double for illegal dumping

Fines for the most serious cases of illegal waste dumping have doubled, according to figures released by the Environment Agency.


The figures, released today (1 October), are the annual flycapture data for 2008/09 covering flytipping offences in England and Wales.

They reveal a slight drop in what are termed ‘serious illegal waste dumping’, but also shows increased fines and longer jail sentences for criminals.

Figures show a total of 818 illegal waste dumping incidents took place this year compared with 851 last year.

Those fly tippers were fined more than £840,000 – almost double the 2007/8 figure of £425,000.

The average fine per prosecution, where that was part of the sentence, was £6000 compared with £2800 in the last figures.

The agency’s head of waste and resource management, Liz Parkes, said: “The increase in the level of fines reflects how seriously we’re pursuing people who dump waste and the dim view the courts hold of this crime.

“This is not about people putting rubbish out on the wrong day, or in the wrong bins. We concentrate on those individuals and companies whose illegal activities have the potential to cause serious damage to the environment and human health.”

Luke Walsh

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