Fly-tippers and waste criminals will be forced into new “clean up squads” and compelled to clear up illegal dumps in local streets, parks and the countryside, The i Paper can reveal.
Councils will be given new powers to force fly-tippers to carry out the clean up and cover the costs of clearing up their waste crimes as part of wider efforts by ministers to crackdown on the issue of illegal dumping.
The new measures will mean local authorities will have the power to issue criminals with so-called “condition cautions” instead of pursuing a full prosecution in court in a bid to speed up enforcement.
This would see offenders being forced to complete up to 20 hours of unpaid work, cleaning streets, parks and the sites where they have illegally dumped waste. The plans will require new primary legislation.
Money can also be seized from illegal dumpers
Officials believe the changes will hand councils an extra tool to tackle the increasing problem of fly-tipping, while keeping the option of a full prosecution on the table.
Under current rules, those caught fly-tipping can only be punished once they are convicted, which can result in a fine, a community sentence or even prison time. But it is hoped the new cautions will mean sites affected by illegal dumping will be cleaned up more quickly.
Under the new rules fly-tippers would need to be caught with proof such as CCTV, or in the act by the police. Local authorities can either go to court and prosecute, or they can go down this quicker route.
Councils will also be given new powers to seize money directly from offenders, to fund the clean up operation, although this aspect will have to be put out for full consultation.
If an offender breaches the terms of the caution, the option to prosecute will still be available to local authorities, officials said.
Announcing the plans, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds told The i Paper: “If you dump rubbish on our streets, you will be joining a clean-up squad and picking up the bill, not the taxpayer.
“We are clamping down on these criminals, making sure those responsible clean up and pay up. This Government is handing both the Environment Agency and local authorities the power to boost waste crime enforcement, hand out tougher sentences and tackle illegal dumping faster.”
Huge increase in fly-tipping
Insiders said the new caution powers would primarily deal with the day-to-day fly-tipping cases, rather than the rash of mega-dumps that have begun to spring up around the country.
The problem of fly-tipping has dramatically increased in recent years, as organised crime outfits have moved towards illegal dumping as a means of making money.
According to government figures, in the year 2024 to 2025, councils in England dealt with 1.26mn fly-tipping incidents, of which 62 per cent involved household waste.
The Government has claimed recent data has shown an increase in the enforcement against fly-tippers, with local authorities carrying out 572,000 “enforcement actions” in 2024/25, up 8 per cent from the 530,000 in 2023/24.
Only a small number of fly-tippers are caught
But recent reports have revealed that a tiny number of offenders are actually caught and convicted, with most punishments resulting in fixed penalty notices that are less than clean up costs.
In an attempt to bear down on the issue, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has this week announced plans to ban drivers from the road if they are found guilty of fly-tipping with points on their licence becoming a new punishment. Drivers face being banned from the road if they accrue 12 penalty points on their licence.
Ministers also plan to give the Environment Agency new police-style powers, which will mean environment officers will have the ability to search premises without a warrant, seize assets and arrest those suspected of carrying out waste crimes.
The Environmental Services Association has estimated the cost to the economy to tackle the waste was around £1bn a year in England.
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