Just 1.2 per cent of fly-tippers in Suffolk receive fines, government figures show

Less than two per cent of fly tippers in Suffolk are fined for dumping their rubbish illegally, new figures have shown.

Government data has revealed how many incidents of fly-tipping which were recorded between 2019 and 2020 resulted in offenders being handed fixed penalty notices by local authorities.

Babergh and West Suffolk have been revealed to be the areas in the county most committed to tackling fly-tipping, which involves dumping rubbish and other items on land that does not have a licence to accept it.

In Babergh, six of 235 cases of fly-tipping resulted in a fine being handed out - which is equal to 2.55 per cent of cases.

West Suffolk came just behind, with 13 of 630 cases resulting in fines. This is equal to 2.06 per cent.

In Ipswich, 463 cases were recorded, with just five having resulted in someone being fined (1.08 per cent), while Mid Suffolk saw just one person receive a fine despite 301 cases of fly-tipping having been recorded (0.33 per cent).

The worst area in Suffolk for fly-tipping is the east of the county where, despite 1,594 incidents being recorded, not one fine has been handed out.

But it's not all bad news for the region.

The East of England is the second best at punishing fly-tippers - behind London - with 1.84 per cent of incidents resulting in a fine.

From 2019 to 2020, 61,423 cases of fly-tipping were recorded in the East, out of which 1,133 resulted in fines being issued.

East Suffolk Council was approached for comment.

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