New figures released by the Government show a 40 per cent decrease in flytipping incidents recorded by Bolton council.

The latest figures released by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show a reduction in flytipping incidents in Bolton from 4,903 in 2014-2015 to 2,964 in 2015-2016.

The council attributes part of the drop in incidents to the fact that it no longer records flytipping incidents on Bolton at Home land. Bolton at Home recorded 1,004 incidents on their land in 2015-16.

However, the council attributes the remaining drop in flytipping incidents to a combination of targeted education of residents and consistent enforcement against flytippers. 

Whilst the total number of incidents of flytipping in 2016-17 is not yet available, tonnages of flytipping collected by the council have continued to fall, and between April 2016 and January 2017, the council collected 94 tonnes less than the same period in the previous year.

The figures also show an increase in the number of prosecutions brought by the council in this period, from eight prosecutions in 2014-15, to 13 in 2015-16.

The council also increased the number of fixed penalty notices it gave out, issuing 138, which is over 5 times more FPNs than in the previous year.

The council also expects to build on this in 2016-17, with more fixed penalty notices and prosecutions than the previous year.

In 2015, the council invested £1.3m on improving the local environment, including developing new behaviour change teams to educate local residents about how to deal with their waste.

The teams also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to residents who are not disposing of their waste in the correct way, and this mix of education and enforcement has brought about noticeable improvements to the environment in the borough.

The council also takes a firm stance on enforcement against flytippers and those who dump waste in back streets, increasing the number of prosecutions and fines of those found guilty of enviro-crime.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Councillor Nick Peel, said: “Our investment in dedicated teams to educate people has been a huge success, and combined with our firm stance on enforcement we have seen a drop in flytipping across the borough and a rise in the number of fines and prosecutions of the anti-social people responsible.

Flytippers and people who dump waste of any sort show a complete disregard for the people of Bolton and residents should be in no-doubt that the council will always aim to prosecute the culprits.

I would encourage all residents to report fly-tips into the council and any other information that will help us identify those responsible.”