CIEH responds to latest government fly-tipping statistics for England

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), the body representing Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has responded to today’s release of the latest government statistics on fly-tipping incidents recorded by local authorities.

The Department for Environment (Defra) has also today released local authority guidance for the seizing and crushing of fly-tipping offenders' vehicles, something CIEH has welcomed.

Mark Elliott, President of CIEH, said:

“These figures underline the scale of waste crime across England. Every incident, whether a single bag of waste or a truck‑load, blights local communities, damages the environment and undermines people’s quality of life.

“Our members are on the frontline of tackling this issue and also deal daily with the serious environmental impacts caused by waste crime, including infestations and the potential contamination of land and water supplies.

“They are working tirelessly to investigate offences and bring perpetrators to justice, increasingly using modern tools such as drones, surveillance technology and vehicle‑seizure powers.

“While smaller, localised fly‑tips remain the most common, we are particularly alarmed by the continued rise in large‑scale incidents involving Transit‑style vans and tipper lorries. These operations cause significant disruption and pose even greater risks to public health and the environment.

“This level of investigation and enforcement demands substantial resources, and the costs are not always recovered. It is therefore vital that local authorities and environmental health teams receive the vital intelligence from other agencies and the adequate staffing they need to carry out this work effectively and to protect communities from the harm caused by waste crime.

“We do welcome the publishing today of new Defra guidance for local authorities on seizure powers for vehicles involved in fly-tipping. This guidance provides assurances for local authority teams on the powers they have at their disposal and gives useful information and advice to aid consistency in approaches.”