Rubbish on any land (public or private)
Fly-tipping is the illegal act of dumping rubbish anywhere, on any land, with no intention of having it cleared.
Common fly-tipped items include furniture and household appliances, building rubble, carpeting, shopping trolleys, hazardous waste and any other items of waste. A fly-tip can also be any rubbish bag, bulky or loose material that has been dumped in a public space or left on land without the landowner's permission.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence. Offenders may be issued with a £1,000 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or prosecuted through the courts. A court conviction may result in a substantially higher fine, legal costs and a criminal record.
We investigate reports of fly-tipping and where there is sufficient evidence, enforcement action will be taken.
Your legal duty
Householders have a legal duty to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly.
If you pay someone to remove waste from your property, you should check they are a registered waste carrier and ask for a receipt or waste transfer note where appropriate.
If your waste is later found to have been fly-tipped, you may be liable for enforcement action if you have not taken reasonable steps to ensure it was disposed of legally.
Fly-tipping and dumped rubbish
We collect rubbish on council owned land, including roads, pavements, public car parks, green spaces and council housing estates.
If rubbish has been dumped on private land, the landowner is responsible for arranging its removal. While we do not remove rubbish from private land, we may investigate fly-tipping incidents where evidence is available and the landowner is willing to support the investigation.
We do not:
- collect rubbish in natural watercourses or rivers - this is dealt with by the Environment Agency (0800 80 70 60)
- collect rubbish in canals or towpaths. This is dealt with by the Canal and River Trust
- remove missed bin collections - you can report a missed bin collection online
- remove injured animals - please call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.
