Welsh county given funding for new fly-tipping cameras

Lewis Smith, Local democracy reporter

A council has been given funding by the Welsh Government in order to help staff crack down on fly-tipping across the borough.

The funding, worth more than £10,500, is now intended to be used for “new state-of-the-art surveillance cameras” which would expand Neath Port Talbot Council’s enforcement capabilities.

It was given by Welsh Government and Fly-tipping Action Wales to provide local authorities with 150 new trail cameras to monitor fly-tipping hotspots.

Grants have been awarded to councils such as Neath Port Talbot, Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Pembrokeshire for the “enforcement and camera-based projects”.

It comes after reports of more than 48,000 fly-tipping incidents across Wales in the 2024-25 financial year which rose from just over 42,000 in 2023-24.

In Neath Port Talbot a total of 884 incidents were recorded in 2024-25, up from a total of 633 recorded in the previous year.

Speaking on the funding Neath Port Talbot Councillor Scott Jones, cabinet member for streetscene, said: “The grant funding from Welsh Government has enabled us to invest in new surveillance cameras to support our fight against fly‑tipping.

“The equipment will be added to the various tools that are already proving invaluable, allowing our waste enforcement team and legal services to take a far more proactive approach in identifying offenders and securing successful prosecutions.

“Fly‑tipping is an environmental crime that blights our communities.

“By strengthening our enforcement capabilities we are sending a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated in Neath Port Talbot.”

Councillor Simon Knoyle who is cabinet member for finance, performance, and social justice in Neath Port Talbot, added: “We would urge residents to report any fly-tipping incidents they see via the council’s website as this information is vital in helping us take action quickly.

“It’s also important that people protect themselves by checking that anyone they use to dispose of waste is a registered waste carrier.

“This can be done through the Natural Resources Wales website.”