Have you been affected by fly-tipping? Share you story with the CLA
We want to hear how this rural crime has impacted farmers and landowners in the south west.
In January, Defra is expected to release its latest figures on fly-tipping incidents in England.
Last year’s figures revealed that many local authorities across the South West recorded substantial increases in the number of reported incidents.
However, these figures barely scratch the surface of a crime that is a blight on the rural community. This is because the figures only cover incidents on public land.
The CLA is keen to highlight the true cost and distress that is caused to farmers and landowners when waste is dumped on private property.
Fly tipping is not a victimless crime: two thirds of all farmers and landowners have at some stage been a victim, on average paying £1,000 to remove the waste. In some cases farmers have paid up to £100,000 to clear up other people’s mess or risk facing prosecution themselves.
To help us provide examples of fly-tipping on private land to the media we are asking that members who have experienced the crime, and would be happy to speak to the media about the incidents, to contact CLA South West Communications Manager Sarah Wells-Gaston by email.
Photographs of recent incidents would also be beneficial so we can demonstrate the scale of the problem.
