Vehicles (including cars, motorbikes, caravans and trailers) that appear to be abandoned on the highway or on private land without permission should be reported through our abandoned vehicles process. Please do not report as a fly tip.
What is a fly-tip?
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of liquid or solid waste on land or in water. The waste is usually dumped to avoid disposal costs.
Fly-tips are unsightly and can be dangerous. They can pollute land and waterways and cost the tax payer significant amounts of money as we have to clear them away and dispose of them safely.
What isn't a fly-tip?
The following are some of the common nuisance issues that are regularly reported to us as fly tips but they are not considered as fly-tipping:
- rubbish/recycling that has been left out by your neighbours earlier than the night before/day of collection, or
- has been left out unprotected and is causing a littering problem, or
- has been left somewhere that is causing an obstruction to pedestrians or road users
Please don't report any of the above issues as a fly-tip. We'd still like to know if they're happening in your area but please report them using our contact us form. Please include the address that is causing the issue so we can investigate.
Report fly-tipping on Council owned land
If you see someone fly-tipping or wish to report fly-tipped waste on council land, please report it to us, giving as much detail as possible. We will remove within 48 hours unless:
- there is an ongoing investigation relating to the fly-tip or
- we need to arrange specialist resources to remove it
Fly-tipping on private land
The Council is not responsible for clearing and collecting fly-tips on private land. This should be reported to the landowner.
However, our Community Protection team can investigate reports of fly-tipping on private land where there is evidence that could lead to identifying the person(s) responsible.
Further details of this can be found on our environmental crime pages. You can report fly-tipping to them on private land by using the online reporting form above. However, please be aware that the responsibility for clearing it will still lie with the landowner and not the council.
Find out about environmental crime
When reporting an incident of fly-tipping, please give as much information as possible in response to the questions on the form.
If you discover fly-tipped waste
Do not:
- touch the waste - it may contain syringes, broken glass, asbestos, toxic chemicals or other hazardous substances
- disturb the site - there may be evidence that could help identify the fly-tippers and lead to their prosecution
Do:
- visually try to work out what the waste consists of and how much there is
- make a note of the day, date and time you saw the tipping, its exact location and whether it is in or near water
If you see someone fly-tipping
If you see someone fly-tipping make a note of:
- how many people are involved and what they look like
- what has been tipped - how much and what it looks like
- details of any vehicles involved including make, colour and registration number if possible
Penalty for fly-tipping
Dumping household, industrial and commercial waste illegally is a serious criminal offence, it:
- carries an unlimited if the case goes to the Crown Court
- an offender can be sent to prison
We treat this problem very seriously and will usually prosecute anyone caught fly-tipping waste.
Fly-tipping is often associated with dumping waste from vehicles. In this case the person who owns the vehicle can also be prosecuted. This means that it is possible for a prosecution to occur when only the vehicle, not the driver, is identifiable. The police also have the powers to seize vehicles used for fly-tipping.
