In an average year there are more than million reported fly-tipping incidents reported to councils over a year. Fly-tipping is defined as “the illegal deposit of any waste on to the land that does not have a licence to accept it” originating from a term in the mid-18th century “on the fly” meaning “on the move” this coupled with the act of tipping something out created “fly-tipping”.

So what can you do if someone fly-tips on your land?

If you find rubbish dumped on your private land then you are now responsible for clearing it up unfortunately, however it should still be reported to the local authority this is so they can investigate and prosecute the culprits. Keeping evidence of the removal costs if a prosecution is successful later down the line you may be able to recover this back.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that many successful prosecutions ever take place, however 1,602 prosecutions took place in England during 2016, 98% of prosecutions end up with a conviction, with councils handing out over 56,000 fixed penalty notices with a maximum fine of £400 over the same time period.

The fine money will go to the council that issued the fine which should be reinvested into the cost of clearing up such unwanted rubbish.

What can you expect from a fly-tipping prosecution?

There are different scales a court can issue sentences and fines for, in most cases a fly-tipping prosecution will be heard at a magistrate’s court where the greatest prison term is 12 months and the largest maximum fine being £50,000. The largest fine handed out in 2016 was that of £25,500 to a Birmingham based meat and poultry firm.

YRC Excavation & Grab Hire

Here at YRC Grab hire we work to the highest standards, having worked in the groundworks industry for over 25 years. We recycle as much as we can and if we can’t then we take the load to dedicated centres.

If you are looking for a quote on our grab hire services please get in touch by contacting us online or calling us directly on 0113 457 0715.