Welsh council hasn’t made any prosecutions for fly-tipping in almost 10 years

Lewis Smith Local Democracy Reporter

Official figures have revealed that a Welsh council has not made any prosecutions for fly-tipping offences in almost 10 years.

Welsh Government statistics show that Bridgend County Borough Council has not taken any action against fly-tippers in the area since the 2015-16 financial year.

The south Wales-based authority recorded a total of 1,510 incidents of fly-tipping during the 2023-24 financial year with over 1,600 reported the year before that in 2022-23.

In comparison, the neighbouring authority of Neath Port Talbot recorded 633 incidents in 2023-24 with a total of seven prosecutions resulting in fines.

Frustration

Members of Bridgend’s local independent group said the lack of action was something that had frustrated them in recent years with more needing to be done in order to address the issues moving forward.

However, a spokesperson for Bridgend County Borough Council noted that there had been a reduction in the number of fly-tipping and waste incidents in the borough since 2022-23.

They also said the lack of prosecutions was down to more focus being placed on prevention and education for people on how to recycle and dispose of waste in a safe and responsible manner.

Focus on prevention

The spokesperson said: “Bridgend County Borough Council continues to log and investigate all instances of reported fly-tipping and waste issues, but by law, we also have to demonstrate that we have attempted to work with residents prior to issuing fixed penalty notices.

“Together with reductions in the resources that remain available to us, this has meant that in recent years we have focused more upon prevention and on educating people how to recycle and dispose of waste in a safe, responsible manner.

“This approach has resulted in a 18.6% reduction in the number of fly-tipping and waste incidents reported in Bridgend County Borough since 2022-23, and a 17.9% reduction in fly-tipped bags which contain household refuse.

“While this approach is proving to be effective, wherever appropriate the authority will still seek to take action against offenders who refuse to use the waste and recycling system properly.”