The number of fly-tipping cases councils had to deal with last year jumped nearly 10% on the previous year to 1.26 million, official figures show.
Local authorities in England recorded a 9% rise in fly-tipping incidents in 2024/2025 from the 1.15 million they had to deal with in 2023/2024, and the highest figures since new methods for recording cases were introduced in 2018/2019.
The figures from the Environment Department (Defra) relate to rubbish illegally dumped on public land, with private landowners across the country facing clear-up costs from the scourge of having waste fly-tipped on their property.
The data from councils reveal that nearly two thirds of cases (62%) involved household waste, with 777,000 incidents in 2024/2025, up on the 688,000 that had to be cleared up the previous year.
Household waste ranges from black bags of day-to-day rubbish to old furniture, carpets and bric-a-brac from loft and shed clearances.
Fly-tipping most commonly occurs on pavements and roads, accounting for more than a third of cases (37%), according to the figures, and almost a third of incidents (31%) were the size of a small van load, while 27% were the equivalent to a car boot or less.
But 52,000 cases involved an amount of rubbish that was equivalent to a tipper lorry load or more, with these larger cases costing English councils £19.3 million to clear up last year.
In addition to the figures from local authorities, the Environment Agency dealt with 98 incidents of large-scale illegal dumping in 2024/2025, Defra said.
The number of enforcement actions by councils was up 8% in 2024/2025 to 572,000 while the number of fixed penalty notices issued was also up 9% to 69,000.
But the total number of court fines was down 9% to 1,250 and the combined value of the fines also decreased from £730,000 the previous year to £673,000 in 2024/2025, the figures show, although average fines increased slightly.
As the figures were announced, Defra published new guidance to help councils seize and crush more vehicles used for fly-tipping, or repurpose them for clean-up operations, along with advice on how to take cases to court.
Councils are also being urged to name and shame fly-tippers on social media.
Defra Minister Mary Creagh said: “We are empowering local authorities to clamp down on waste cowboys and restore pride in our local areas.
A prolific waste criminal has been ordered to hand over more than £1.4 million for illegally dumping in excess of 4,275 tonnes of waste across England following a nationwide investigation by the Environment Agency.
— Environment AgencySE (@EnvAgencySE) February 19, 2026
🗞️ Read all about it here - https://t.co/J9GxD6Bx08 pic.twitter.com/g6mK9FhCWx
“I share the public’s fury at seeing our streets, parks and fields used as dumping grounds.
“Fly-tippers should know – if you use your van to trash our countryside, don’t be surprised when it ends up on the scrapheap.
She added: “This Government is investing in cutting-edge technology and boosting Environment Agency funding to put more waste crime officers on the ground, while introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the law.”
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