Northampton named among top ten worst fly tipping hot spots in England

Government data shows Northampton Borough Council has paid out a substantial £885,562 in fly tipping costs between 2012/13 and 2016/17.

Waste disposal expert, Harsha Rathnayake CEO of Junk Hunters, said families clearing out their homes to make room for Christmas and New Year purchases put extra pressure on Britain’s already beleaguered waste disposal services during December.

The purchase of new white goods such as fridges, washing machines and tumble dryers as well as new sofas and TV sets in time for the festive season has a knock-on effect on the number of items dumped illegally across the UK at this time of year.

Mr Rathnayake said: “There is a real concern within the industry that more needs to be done to tackle fly tipping. Summer is traditionally a quiet time but we have seen a steady flow of news reports about fly tipping even during these months when the roads are less busy and many families are away on holiday.

He added: “We have found that many people believe it’s too troublesome to rely upon the council to dispose of these items and the danger is a growing number will choose to just dump them somewhere illegally.

“As we approach Christmas and the New Year I would like to see more assurance being given to households that their local authorities are able to meet their waste disposal needs.”

Number of fly tipping incidents 2016-17:

1. - Enfield - 75,614

2. - Haringey - 33,333

3. - Manchester - 28,508

4. - Croydon - 24,797

5. - Hounslow - 22,973

6. - Liverpool - 20,832

7. - Newham - 19,917

8. - Northampton -18,128

9. - Brent - 17,340

10. - Southwark -17,131