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Fly-tipping: Prosecutions

Asked by Wendy MortonConservativeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 16 July 2025UIN 65785

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities seeking to prosecute repeat fly-tipping offenders.

Answered by Mary Creagh

The Government encourages councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, including prosecution, and we are taking steps to help them do so. We intend to develop new fly-tipping enforcement guidance and are also reviewing their powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers to understand how we could help them make better use of this tool.

While sentencing is a matter for the courts, the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group, which Defra chairs, has produced a guide on how local authorities can present robust cases to court. The guide explains that repeat offending could be an aggravating factor. This is available at https://nftpg.com/.

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