More than 1,000 fly-tipping incidents recorded across the East Riding last year

The Country Land and Business Association said the “disgraceful behaviour” blights the countryside and warned that the true extent of fly-tipping across England is probably even higher than feared.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs data shows 1,287 fly-tipping incidents were reported to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in 2020-21. This was down from the 1,442 discoveries made the year before.

Household waste accounted for 661 (51%) incidents last year, while 67 separate incidents were classed as large enough to fill a tipper lorry.

Meanwhile, three fines, a combined £2,756, resulting from court convictions were issued in the area last year – down from 13 in 2019-20.

The council carried out 528 enforcement actions in 2020-21, including 27 fixed penalty notices.

Across England, a record 1.1 million incidents of rubbish dumped on highways and beauty spots were found in 2020-21, up from 980,000 the previous year. But the number of court fines halved from 2,672 to just 1,313 – with their total value decreasing from £1.2 million to £440,000.

The CLA, which represents rural businesses, said the vast majority of fly-tipping occurs on private land, which the figures do not cover.

The Government said the first national coronavirus lockdown impacted many local authorities’ recycling programmes, and that changes to household purchasing may also have driven the increased fly-tipping.

Resources and Waste Minister Jo Churchill said: “We have already given local authorities a range of powers to tackle fly-tipping and we are going further; strengthening powers to detect and prosecute waste criminals through the new Environment Act.”