West Midlands fly-tipping capitals revealed
A new study has revealed the areas in the West Midlands worst affected by illegal fly-tipping.
The study, conducted by the national skip group, Reliable Skip Hire, analysed statistics from the Department of Food and Rural Affairs to work out the most fly-tip-ridden areas.
In the study, Sandwell was revealed as one of the most plagued areas by fly-tippers, with 33.84 incidents recorded per 1,000 people in 2021/22. Well above the national average for England, which stands at 19.07.
Peter Bennett, operations director at Reliable Skip, said: "Fly-tipping in England is a growing concern. The data shows that there were around 714,000 incidents of fly-tipping recorded in England in 2012/13.
"This is a figure which has gone up to more than one million in 2021/22 - more than a 50% increase over ten years. More than £7 million in fines have been handed out during that period.
"It’s important for people to note that there are legal and responsible ways to dispose of waste and unwanted goods which won’t damage public spaces or break the law."
Sandwell was closely followed by Coventry as the worst West Midlands area for fly-tipping, with a reported 24.68 incidents per 1,000 people.
Danny Millard, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "In Sandwell, we won’t tolerate fly-tipping. Wherever we have suitable evidence we will hold people to account when they themselves have dumped rubbish or if they don’t use a properly licensed waste company.
"We’re asking people to always be wary of door-to-door offers to take waste away, or informal quotes on social media. Offers may be genuine, but if an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is. Always be cautious, as you are risking a large fine if your waste is fly-tipped."
Coming third on the list is Telford and Wrekin, both having a reported 23.34 incidents per 1,000 people. topping the top five list was Birmingham, with 20.27 incidents per 1,000.
Mr Millard continued: "Fly-tipping is not just anti-social, it’s a crime and is unacceptable. It can be dangerous, cause pollution and cost the taxpayers of Sandwell a significant amount of money to clean up.
"We have a very proactive approach to identifying waste and fly-tipping incidents in Sandwell. We clear fly-tipping incidents as soon as possible and where possible check for evidence that helps us find the culprits and take the necessary action against them whenever we can."
Nationally, the worst area hit by illegal fly-tipping is London, which reported 289.74 incidents per 1,000 people.
To find out how to dispose of household waste please visit reliableskip.com/
