New statistics published by DEFRA this month show a substantial increase in the cost of dealing with fly-tipping in Dartford. In 2006-07, the cost to Dartford Council of tackling fly-tipping rose to just under £90,000; an increase of 25% on 2005-06 figures, even though the total number of reported fly-tipping incidents actually fell slightly over the year from 2,193 to 1,922.
 
The same set of figures also showed that only 1 prosecution for fly-tipping was mounted in Dartford in 2006-07 (down from 5 the previous year) compared to 31 across Kent and Medway as a whole.
 
Commenting on the statistics, Dartford MP, Dr Howard Stoate said; “It is clear from these figures that fly-tipping remains a major problem in Dartford. Not only is it a blight on the landscape and in many cases a serious health and safety hazard, it is also costing the taxpayer a substantial amount of money.”
 
“More needs to be done to clamp down on the problem. A number of authorities elsewhere in the South east have achieved significant cuts in fly-tipping levels in the last year and we need to learn from their success. Milton Keynes Council for instance has achieved a 35% reduction in fly-tipping after increasing staff numbers on its enforcement team and using covert surveillance in hotspots to catch and prosecute fly-tippers.”
 
Launching the new set of figures, Environment Minister, Joan Ruddock MP said; “Despite some good progress over the last year – including more reporting and more enforcement – there is far too much fly-tipping blighting our streets and countryside. It is not acceptable and councils must do more to tackle it.”
 
“Government has a role to play in this by continuing to provide and update the tools and guidance to enable action to be taken. And the public and businesses must also play a part by reporting incidents and dealing with their waste responsibly.”

Notes

Defra Flytipping data by Local Authority in Kent and Medway