Luton dealing with record number of fly-tipping incidents

It comes as a record 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents were reported across England last year, with Environment Secretary Steve Reed pledging to "punish rubbish dumpers".

Figures from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs show 10,194 fly-tipping incidents were reported in Luton in the year to March 2024 – up from 9,405 the year before.

It was the highest level since comparable local records began in 2019-20.

The national number of fly-tipping incidents last year jumped by 6 per cent and reached the highest figure since 2018-19.

The most common place for fly-tipping to occur was on pavements and roads, accounting for 37 per cent of incidents. Meanwhile, some 60 per cent of cases involved household waste, ranging from black bags of waste to the contents of shed clearances, furniture, and carpets.

Fly-tipping in Luton was most common on council land (84 per cent), while household waste accounted for 85 per cent of the illegally dumped rubbish reports.

A Luton Council Spokesperson said: “Fly-tipping is a totally unacceptable and illegal activity. No amount of waste crime in our town is acceptable – and we will take action against anyone where we find evidence of this disrespectful wrongdoing.

“Although we are disappointed to see a rising number of reports relating to fly-tipping in Luton, it is important to note that we have been encouraging more residents to report incidents of fly-tipping to the council as part of our War on Waste. These reports are vitally important to help us to catch, identify and hold those who mess up our town to account.

The Defra figures also reveal a slight drop in the number of enforcement actions, with fixed-penalty notices dropping 5 per cent to 63,300 fines last year. This includes 263 notices issued in Luton.

Adam Hug, environment spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: "Councils are working tirelessly to counter the thousands of incidents every year and are determined to crack down on the problem."

The spokesperson added: “We urge residents to help us deal with this blight on our town by reporting any waste crime they see using our website or the Love Clean Streets App.”