13,298 reports a year, but just 12 prosecutions: The Black Country and Staffordshire fly-tipping epidemic
As reports of fly-tipping continue to rise, prosecutions continue to dwindle. The cost to the Black Country and Staffordshire taxpayer has been nearly £2 million over the last three years.
Councils need to 'make an example' of fly-tippers – but could struggle to clear up the mounting piles of rubbish if swathing cuts continue, an MP has warned.
More than £1.7 million being spent over the last three years tackling the problem across the Black Country and Staffordshire.
In Sandwell the number of incidents has gone up from 2,462 three years ago to 3,830, while in Wolverhampton it rose from 3,054 to 4,427.
But out of a total of 13,298 reports made last year, just 12 people were prosecuted.
In Wolverhampton
4,427 reports in 2014/15 up 44 per cent from 3,054 three years before.
Cost up from £84,974 in 2012/13 to £136,470 in 2014/15.
City council prosecuted one person last year, two the previous year, and eight in 2012/13.
In Sandwell
3,830 reports in 2014 up 55 per cent from 2,462 three years before.
Cost was £146,516 in 2012 and £236,015 in 2014.
Sandwell Council has not prosecuted anyone in those three years.
In Dudley
820 reports in 2014/15 up 12 per cent from 782 three years before.
Cost jumped from £35,339 in 2012/13 to £45,366 in 2014/15.
Dudley Council prosecuted five people last year, nine the previous year and 12 in 2012/13.
In Cannock Chase<
416 reports in 2014/15 up from 318 three years before.
Cost rose from £18,091 in 2012/13 to £23,846 in 2014/15.
Cannock Chase Council prosecuted one person last year - and none in the previous two years.
In Stafford
443 reports in 2014/15, compared to 353 in 2012/13.
£28,000 spent on dealing with fly-tipping last year.
Two prosecutions in 2014/15, one the year before, and five in 2012/13.
Walsall
3,362 reports in 2014/15 up 62 per cent from 2,067 three years before.
Cost has rocketed from £139,547 in 2012/13 to £239,396 in 2014/15.
Three people prosecuted in last year, two in previous year and four in 2012/13.
And fears have been raised that the huge cuts to council budgets mean the problem is only going to get worse. It has been argued that investigations into fly-tipping can be time-consuming and costly, with authorities having to go through a lengthy process just to get a case to court.
In Walsall there were 3,362 reports in 2014/15, which is 27 fewer than the year before but still far higher than the 2,067 total in 2012/13. Dudley's total rose from 729 to 820 in three years, while in Cannock Chase it went from 318 to 416, and from 353 to 443 in Stafford.
Meanwhile the costs the councils face have also rocketed, with more than £1.7 million shelled out across the region.
Wolverhampton council spent £136, 470 alone last year, compared to £84,974 three years earlier. Walsall faced the highest costs in 2014/15 with £239,396, but resulting in just three prosecutions.
Dudley North MP Ian Austin said the rise in fly-tipping was 'an absolute disgrace' and added: "This sort of anti-social behaviour makes life a misery for decent residents and costs the rest of us a fortune. I think councils need to take really tough action against these people who blight our streets."
But he said it was getting 'more difficult' for councils with millions being slashed from their budgets. "This is why they need to make an example of these people to prevent others doing the same."
In recent days huge mounds of waste have been dumped across the region.
Just last week tyres, mattresses, sofas, fridges were left in Jackson Street, Lye, with a community group filling six lorry-loads to clear it.
And wooden pallets, household rubbish and building waste were found in Back Lane, Aldridge on August 23. Beauty spots have also been hit, with more than 20 tyres strewn across Fibbersley Nature Reserve in Willenhall.
Councils are using a number of measures to tackle the problem, including investigating rubbish for evidence of where it came, using CCTV and hidden cameras, running patrols with police and education campaigns to warn residents they are responsible for where their waste ends up.
But across the country, the number of fly-tipping incidents rose slightly in 2014/2015 to 529,462 cases across 201 councils, up from 527,777 the previous year.
Part of the rise is also thought to be down to people moving house more often, with figures showing 2.6 million households moved in 2013/2014, or 11 per cent of all households, and the low cost of household goods.
Peter Box, the Local Government Association's environment spokesman, said local authorities were spending tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money a year on clearing up fly-tipping, which could be better spent on services such as protecting vulnerable children and keeping libraries open.
He said councils could only take fly-tippers to court, when a fine would sometimes be the more appropriate response. "All the figures show that the huge amount of effort local authorities put into preventing and tackling fly-tipping is having a real impact," he said.
"But new powers would ensure councils can go even further."
A Defra spokesman said: "We want everyone to enjoy a cleaner, healthier country and will build on our successes by introducing fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping. hose who illegally dump waste."
