Fly-tipping rises in Horsham as illegally-dumped waste condemned as ‘organised crime’

They show that there were a total of 1,066 incidents of illegally dumped waste reported to Horsham District Council during 2019-20.

But the Country Land and Business Association - CLA - says that the vast majority of fly-tipping incidents are on privately-owned land and are thought to be ‘significantly more’ but aren’t included in the Government figures.

CLA president Mark Bridgeman described fly-tipping figures across the country as ‘alarming’ but said they were ‘just the tip of the iceberg.’

“Cases of fly-tipping on privately owned land are significantly more than on public land so these government figures do not reflect the true scale of this type of organised crime, which blights our rural communities.”

Figures for Horsham show that of the 1,066 cases of fly-tipping reported to Horsham District Council during 2019-20, 451 of them were on the highway, and 209 on council land.

Another 153 cases were of rubbish being dumped on footpaths in the district, with 64 on private land; 34 on agricultural land and 13 in ‘back alleys.’

Mark Bridgeman went on: “Part of the problem is that it’s currently too simple to gain a waste carrying licence that enables firms to transport and dispose of waste – and this needs urgent reform with correct checks put in place. A revamped system would act as a deterrent.”

He said one CLA member, who is regularly subjected to fly-tipping, was having to pay £50,000 each year for rubbish such as tyres, fridges, tents, barbecues and building waste, to be cleared.

He called for local authorities to take more responsibility for waste dumped on people’s private land.

Mr Bridgeman added: “Although the maximum fine for anyone caught fly-tipping is £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment, if convicted in a Magistrates’ Court, this is seldom enforced. Unless tougher action is taken to combat this kind of rural crime, it will continue to increase.”

Meanwhile, people in Horsham have already expressed concerns that fly-tipping will increase again locally as West Sussex County Council has said it is to trial a new booking system at Horsham’s rubbish tip next month.

Covid precautions and the need to maintain social distancing has cut the number of people who can use the household waste recycling site at Hop Oast at any one time which has led to congestion and queuing.