Guide
Fly-tipping in England: the 2024/25 figures
Councils in England dealt with 1,257,863 fly-tipping incidents in 2024/25, or 21.46 per 1,000 people, and issued 68,760 fixed penalty notices (Defra, Fly-tipping statistics for England 2024 to 2025). Household waste was involved in 61.7% of incidents on our calculation from Defra's waste-type figures.
How many fly-tipping incidents were there in England in 2024/25?
Councils in England recorded 1,257,863 fly-tipping incidents in 2024/25, up from 1,152,632 in 2023/24, a rise of about 9%. That is 21.46 incidents per 1,000 people, against 17.40 in 2019/20, when there were 979,728 incidents.
The figures are Defra's official statistics, reported by councils through WasteDataFlow and published on 25 February 2026. They cover fly-tipping that councils deal with, mainly on public land; most fly-tipping on private land is not included.
What gets fly-tipped, and where?
Household waste was involved in 61.7% of incidents, our calculation from Defra's figures for household black bags (215,754) and other household waste (560,934). Defra's own release gives 62%. Other recorded types included construction and demolition waste (69,592 incidents), white goods (59,763), tyres (12,738) and asbestos (3,125).
Highways were the most common place, with 463,384 incidents, followed by footpaths and bridleways (253,773), council land (222,681) and back alleyways (108,893).
The most common size was a small van load, at 380,830 incidents. There were 326,577 incidents of a car boot load or less, 201,182 single items and 32,822 tipper lorry loads.
Which regions have the most fly-tipping?
London had by far the highest rate in 2024/25, at 52.93 incidents per 1,000 people (481,088 incidents). The North East followed at 23.61 per 1,000, then the East Midlands at 19.84.
The South West had the lowest rate, at 9.40 per 1,000, and the South East the next lowest at 11.31. Each town page on rubbishremoval.trade shows the figure for its own council.
Defra advises against ranking councils purely on incident numbers, because councils that look harder, through proactive clearance or public reporting apps, record more.
What do councils do about fly-tipping?
Councils in England took 571,861 enforcement actions in 2024/25, including 386,328 investigations, 62,194 warning letters and 29,483 duty of care inspections (Defra).
They issued 68,760 fixed penalty notices, of which 19,196 were for fly-tipping and 8,028 for breaches of the household duty of care. They also brought 1,377 prosecutions and seized 139 vehicles, and courts issued 1,250 fines totalling £673,433.
A fixed penalty for fly-tipping can be up to £1,000, and for a householder who hands waste to an unchecked carrier up to £600 in England (since 31 July 2023). On conviction, the fine is unlimited and the prison term up to 5 years (GOV.UK).
How do I report fly-tipping?
Report small fly-tips, such as several bin bags or one or two pieces of furniture, to your council. In England, report a lorry load (20 tonnes) or more, hazardous waste or organised dumping to the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Photograph the waste and note the location and time, but do not open bags or move anything. Councils must clear fly-tipping from public land; on private land the landowner must arrange and pay for it to be removed.
How can I make sure my rubbish is not fly-tipped?
Use a registered waste carrier and check the registration number on the public register before handing anything over: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland.
Ask where the waste will go, and keep a receipt with the firm's name, registration number, what was taken and the date. If your waste turns up dumped, that receipt is your evidence that you made the checks.
Common questions
Is fly-tipping getting worse in England?
Recorded incidents rose from 979,728 in 2019/20 to 1,257,863 in 2024/25, and by about 9% in the latest year. Part of the rise may reflect councils recording more, which Defra notes when comparing areas.
What is the fine for fly-tipping?
A fixed penalty of up to £1,000 in England, or on conviction an unlimited fine and up to 5 years in prison. In England, a householder whose waste is dumped by an unchecked carrier faces up to £600.
Who clears fly-tipping on private land?
The landowner. GOV.UK says that if waste is dumped on your land you must arrange and pay for its proper disposal. Councils must clear public land and can choose whether to investigate on private land.
Where do these figures come from?
Defra, Fly-tipping statistics for England 2024 to 2025, published 25 February 2026 under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The household share of 61.7% is our calculation from Defra's waste-type figures.