‘How can it be fair to punish victims of crime?’- Fly-tipping hits record high

Farm fields and country lanes are being buried under piles of waste, with new figures showing fly-tipping in England has hit record highs. 

The latest statistics revealed that councils dealt with 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents in 2024/2025, though these figures only account for waste illegally dumped on public land that has been reported to the authorities. It marks a nine per cent increase on the year before. 

Many fly-tipping incidents occur on privately owned land, painting an even more damaging picture of the financial burden and environmental impact fly-tipping brings. 

There have been several high-profile incidents recently, from the 30,000 tonnes of waste dumped in ancient woodland at Hoad’s Wood in Kent to 20,000 tonnes next to the River Cherwell and A34 in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. 

Colin Rayner, whose family farms in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey, said: “We have been experiencing ongoing fly-tipping every week, highlighting the persistent nature of the problem and the need for urgent action.  

“Fly-tipping is out of control in the countryside. We wake up to loads of rubbish in the field or farm gateways. From car tyres to household waste, hazardous waste is often found.   

“Our public footpaths that cross our fields are another source of unsightly littering. Our verges are used to dump garden waste and abandon white goods and even dead dogs.  

“We just clear up the fly-tipping waste and bear the high disposal costs at the registered landfill site, which significantly impacts our farm’s finances. My team must litter pick the footpaths weekly, adding to our ongoing expenses.” 

‘System that punishes victims of the crime’ 

Cambridgeshire farmer George Hurrell added that fly-tipping is a “constant problem” for farmers, with waste frequently dumped in their fields and gateways. He added: “We get everything from washing machines, mattresses and builders’ rubble to large-scale processed waste.  

“Not only is it a hazard for people and wildlife, but we also incur significant costs in having to clear the fly-tipping on our land. If we don’t remove it, we face being prosecuted. How can it be fair to have a system that punishes those who are victims of a crime?”  

James Guernsey, of the Packington Estate in Warwickshire, said it is unfair that farmers are left responsible for clearing the waste that is dumped illegally on their land.  

“We, as landowners, are guardians and play an important role in protecting the environment for all to enjoy, but the current system is broken, allowing criminal gangs to dump waste all over the countryside with little to no enforcement.   

“This frequently leaves us bearing the financial and practical burden of clearing potentially hazardous waste weekly. We need greater support, clearer accountability and stronger enforcement to ensure this blight on the rural environment is stopped.” 

‘Clear signal for criminals’

CLA president Gavin Lane said that farmers and land managers “have had enough”. “The countryside is increasingly being targeted by organised crime gangs – often violent – who know that rural areas are under-policed and resourced. 

“It’s not just litter blotting the landscape but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous – even including asbestos and chemicals – endangering wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment. Farmers are victims yet have to pay clean-up costs themselves,” he added. 

Mr Lane called for penalties that are enforced and better reflect the severity of the crime. “The seizure of vehicles must be the default penalty to send a clear signal that criminals will face real consequences if they are caught fly-tipping,” he concluded. 

The CLA is also calling for: 

• The appointment of a national fly-tipping commissioner to co-ordinate agencies, monitor incidents on private land and benchmark enforcement performance 

• The enforcement of fines for businesses and homeowners whose waste is found dumped 

• More support for victims via a new permit scheme to allow farmers who did not cause or knowingly permit the fly-tipping to dispose of it at a waste disposal site free of charge.

A CLA survey found almost three-quarters of farmers who responded are affected each year, with some targeted multiple times each month. Each incident costs on average £1,000 to clear up, with 85% saying they have invested in measures such as CCTV, lighting and other security. 

READ MORE: Criminals target farmland with large-scale fly-tipping as clean-up costs soar

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