Fly-tippers could face £5,000 fines under proposed crackdown

Nation.Cymru staff

Fly-tippers could face fines of up to £5,000 under plans to dramatically increase the penalties for illegally dumping waste in Wales.

Cardiff politicians have called for tougher action against offenders, arguing that those responsible should help meet the cost of cleaning up their waste and funding enforcement.

Cardiff Council leader Chris Weaver, Cardiff Central MS Huw Thomas and the council’s Cabinet Member for Waste Services Ed Stubbs had called on the Welsh Government to increase the maximum fixed penalty notice (FPN) for fly-tipping from £400 to £5,000.

The Welsh Government has now confirmed it is consulting on exactly that increase as part of proposals to strengthen the deterrent against fly-tipping.

Cardiff Council has recently increased the number of specially trained officers able to search illegally dumped waste for evidence, while a further 60 street cleansing officers have been trained to investigate fly-tipping.

The three Labour politicians argue that revenue from higher penalties could help fund further enforcement measures, including CCTV and drones.

Mr Thomas said: “Andy Burnham recently announced that fines in England are increasing, and I want to see the same happen in Wales.

“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities. Whether it is building waste dumped in lanes or mattresses abandoned on our streets, those responsible should pay not only to clean it up but also to fund stronger enforcement action.”

Mr Weaver said: “In Cardiff, we accept no excuses for fly-tipping, and we have shown that we are determined to track down those responsible.

“Now it is time for the Welsh Government to give us the tools we need to go further and make fly-tippers really pay.”

Mr Stubbs said he was writing to the Welsh Government calling for the cap on penalties to be lifted.

He said: “I am formally writing to the Welsh Government because this does not need to wait for a review. It simply needs to happen.”

The previous Welsh Government introduced fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping, allowing councils to retain the money raised from fines.

Responding to the calls, the Welsh Government confirmed proposals to increase the maximum penalty tenfold are already under consultation.

A spokesperson said: “Fly-tipping is a crime and is never justified under any circumstances. We continue to target those who choose to break the law and pollute our environment.

“We are currently consulting on proposals to significantly increase penalties for fly-tipping, including raising the maximum fixed penalty from £400 to £5,000.

“The purpose of this proposed increase is to ensure that the fixed penalties act as a sufficient deterrent, reflect the costs of investigating and dealing with the waste and ensure parity with the proposed increase in fixed penalty levels in England for similar offences.

“It will be for each local authority to decide on setting the fixed penalty amount based on their local circumstances.”

The UK Government has also announced plans to increase the maximum fixed penalty for fly-tipping in England to £5,000 as part of measures targeting environmental crime.

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