ANYONE caught fly-tipping in Wiltshire could face a fine of up to £1,000 under new rules.

Currently, people issued a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for dumping rubbish in the county is fined up to £400, or £150 for littering.

Anyone who fails in their household duty of care to prevent fly-tipping – for example, handing their waste to an unlicensed person who then dumps the waste – can be fined a maximum of £400, or £200 if paid within 10 days.

However, from April 23, FPNs will be raised to £1,000 for fly-tipping, £500 for littering and £600 for household duty of care, with no early payment discount.

It comes after Wiltshire Council raised the fines applicable to offenders.

Cllr Nick Holder, cabinet member for highways, Street Scene and flooding, said: “We increased the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) we issued for fly-tipping by 118% in 2023, but whenever we issue a fly-tipping FPN, people always tell us that the fines should be higher to deter further environmental crimes.

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“Thanks to changes in Government legislation, we can now raise the FPN rates, with a fine of £1,000 for anyone who is caught fly-tipping in Wiltshire.

“For more serious offences, we will prosecute fly-tippers rather than issue an FPN, and anyone found guilty in court could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

“This isn’t a money-making exercise, as all funds raised through FPNs have to be invested back into the service to catch more fly-tippers.

“We have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling fly-tipping, including employing more enforcement staff to catch criminals, using new technologies such as covert cameras, and further promoting our award-winning We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign.”

The increases come after a number of cases against fly-tippers in the county.

In September last year, fly-tippers were fined over waste dumped in Wiltshire, including in Durrington, as part of the council crackdown.

Fly-tipping in Durrington that led to a fine. Picture: Wiltshire Council

And the following month, businessman John King was fined after being caught fly-tipping by covert cameras.

“As part of our Business Plan commitment, we’ll continue to do all we can to fight the scourge of fly-tipping in Wiltshire – and these increased fines will help us to do that.

“Any household or business that is paying someone to take their waste away must ensure they have a valid waste carriers licence, record the vehicle details of the people collecting waste and get a receipt or waste transfer note.”

To find out more about fly-tipping in Wiltshire, including how to report it, people should go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.