The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on the UK Government and the Sentencing Council to urgently review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping.
The LGA has called for an urgent review after official statistics showed that fly-tipping offenders prosecuted through the courts are often fined less than the penalties councils issue directly.
The latest fly-tipping data showed the average court fine for fly-tipping is £539, which is £87 lower than the £626 average fixed penalty notice (FPN) councils can issue for the same offence.
The LGA says sentencing guidelines are now out of step with the real impact of fly-tipping, and tougher penalties are needed to deter repeat and organised offenders.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the LGA Neighbourhoods Committee, commented: “Councils are working hard to investigate and prosecute (fly-tipping) offenders, but when court fines are lower than fixed penalties, it undermines enforcement and fails to act as a deterrent.”
“Sentencing guidelines must be reviewed so that the punishment fits the crime and reflects both the harm caused and the significant work undertaken by enforcement officers.”
The latest statistics on fly-tipping released last week show councils in England dealt with 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents in 2024/25, a 1.15 million increase on the previous year.
The dataset covers incidents recorded by councils and excludes large-scale cases dealt with by the Environment Agency, as well as most incidents on private land.
The Environment Agency handled 98 large-scale illegal dumping incidents during 2024/25, the notice states.
CIWM’s Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs, Dan Cooke, called the figures ‘depressing and concerning’
“Illegal dumping and fly-tipping at any scale is a clear waste crime. It causes misery and anxiety for communities and real damage to local environments and economies,” Cooke commented.
“CIWM is calling for a waste crime taskforce to be established to systematically review shortcomings and to identify practical measures to address the scourge of waste crime at every level.”
