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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the enforcement powers available to enable local authorities to tackle fly-tipping.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, community sentence or even imprisonment.

Sentencing is a matter for the courts. The Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.