More than half of London’s councils have revealed that they will increase fly-tipping fines to £1,000, in a bid to cut litter levels across the capital.
At least 17 boroughs which previously charged fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of £400 have confirmed that they are, or have already, increased the fine by 150 per cent.
It comes as BBC London reports that some boroughs are also increasing the number of environment officers patrolling the streets to deter offenders.
According to data from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), London saw the single largest number of ‘fly-tipping incidents’ of any English region in 2023/24.
Of the 1,152,617 incidents across England, 444,519 (about 39 per cent) were recorded in the Greater London area.
The capital’s worst affected boroughs were Croydon (35,470 total incidents), Camden (34,786), and Hackney (33,464). The least impacted were Islington (1,347), the square mile of the City of London (2,315), and Kingston-upon-Thames (2,935).
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The ability for councils to increase the maximum fly-tipping FPN from £400 to £1,000 was granted under Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Government in 2023.
The following boroughs told the BBC this week that they are, or have already, increased fly-tipping FPNs to £1,000:
- Bexley
- Brent
- Bromley
- Camden
- Ealing
- Enfield
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Harrow
- Hillingdon
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Lewisham
- Redbridge
- Richmond
- Southwark
- Tower Hamlets
- Wandsworth
Hounslow Council meanwhile confirmed in a press release on Thursday that they will also be making the change, bringing the total to at least 17 of London’s 33 local authorities.
Hounslow’s cabinet member for public safety, regulatory services and enforcement, Raghwinder Siddhu, said: “It makes our borough look unsightly, the fly-tips are potentially hazardous, and otherwise it is the law-abiding residents that must pay to clean it up.”
The Labour councillor added: “It is simply not acceptable for people to do this. It would be much easier to either take it to the dump or throw it in a bin.
“So, you either look for a bin, or look over your shoulder, because if you fly-tip or litter in Hounslow, you will risk being caught and you will be fined.”
According to the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, fly-tipping is defined as the illegal deposit of any waste on land that does not have a licence to accept it.
Allison Ogden-Newton, from Keep Britain Tidy, told BBC London: “Fines going up is a really good idea because we need a disincentive to the criminals that are carrying out this act, but we also have to catch them, which is no small matter.”
She added: “We've been asking for a review of the sentencing guidelines, because although sentences could be much harsher for those that are convicted of fly-tipping, magistrates tend not to issue severe fines and even prison sentences, which they can, because they perceive this to be a victimless crime.
“Anyone who is living in a community that is regularly fly-tipped knows this is not a victimless crime.”
