Fly-tippers cost Derbyshire taxpayers £175,000 last year

People who illegally dump rubbish in our county are racking up a huge bill of more than £175,000 for taxpayers, we can reveal.
People are being urged to report fly-tipping incidents.People are being urged to report fly-tipping incidents.
People are being urged to report fly-tipping incidents.

Newly-released figures from Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show that more than one million incidents of fly-tipping were dealt with by councils in England in 2016-17, costing taxpayers nationally £58m to clear up. In the East Midlands alone, the bill is £3m.

But levels of fly-tipping across Derbyshire are by no means the worst – with the number of reported incidents in Chesterfield remaining the same, with only slight increases in north east Derbyshire, Bolsover and Amber Valley and decreases in Derbyshire Dales and High Peak.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Although I am pleased we have not seen an increase in the amount of fly-tipping in Chesterfield during the last year and that this is far lower than in neighbouring areas, 436 incidents of fly-tipping are still 436 incidents too many.

“This has meant spending more than £14,000 on clearing the rubbish and investigating cases of fly-tipping. This is money which could have been better spent on the vital services we provide to our residents.”

A spokesman for North East Derbyshire District Council and Bolsover District Council said: “We work closely with other partners and local authorities to deter and identify fly tippers by sharing intelligence. We would support landowners wherever possible and provide advice on how they can protect their land and we can also assist with clearance at a reasonable cost.”

In Chesterfield, levels of fly-tipping remained the same, with 436 incidents in 2015/16 and 2016/17, at a cost of £14,841.

While incidents increased in north east Derbyshire, from 414 to 448, at a cost of £28,073. There was also an increase in Bolsover, from 901 to 1,082, at a cost of £50,452, and in Amber Valley, from 319 to 341, at a cost of £18,570.

But incidents decreased in Derbyshire Dales, from 242, to 182, costing £9,324, and in the High Peak, from 526, to 488, costing £54,487.