Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that local authorities are aware that they can use covert surveillance to tackle fly tippers.

Defra has published best practice guidance to support local authorities to make better use of their power to seize vehicles suspected of fly-tipping. This guidance explains the circumstances in which overt and covert surveillance may be used in fly-tipping investigations.