Number of fly-tipping cases up by 50 per cent

The number of people caught fly-tipping in the Dudley borough has shot up by more than 50 per cent, figures reveal today. A limit on collections is blamed.

There were 82 cases of fly-tipping in the 2010/11 financial year — compared with 52 in 2009/10.

The introduction of the three-bag limit for bin men to collect was today blamed for the "shocking" increase.

Rubbish has been dumped in places around the borough, including Wrens Nest Nature Reserve and the former Dry Dock pub in Dudley.

And one man even claimed he was forced into throwing piles on to waste land at the back of Addison Road, Brierley Hill, by new rules which mean Dudley Council will only collect three bags of waste a week.

Councillor Karen Jordan, who opposed the plans when they were first proposed, said people in some areas were still facing problems with the collections.

"In some cases, if people leave out four bags, for example, the bin men are not even taking the three they should be taking — they are just leaving all of them," she said.

"If those people are unable to get to a tip, or can't be bothered, that's when fly-tipping happens."

The council said it is committed to tackling the problem but could not give a reason for the increase.