NEW fines for fly tippers may not be enough to stem the rising tide of rubbish in rural areas, according to an organisation representing land owners.

Councils will now be able to issue fines for small scale fly-tipping of up to £400, as an alternative to prosecution, following the introduction of new Government regulations.

But the CLA, which has more than 33,000 members, said more effective action was still needed.

Land owners are liable for any waste that is fly-tipped on their land and can be prosecuted if they do not clear it away, often at considerable cost to their business.

In 2014/15 there were 900,000 fly-tipping incidents dealt with by local councils, but less than 2,000 prosecutions.

Last April The Northern Echo reported how the problem was costing taxpayers in the North-East and North Yorkshire £2.8m a year, based on councils’ average clean up costs.

CLA North regional director Dorothy Fairburn said: “The problem seems to have worsened recently in some areas - possibly as a result of local authorities making changes to their household recycling operations - and the CLA is calling for offenders to be dealt with more robustly.

“Fixed penalty notices alone will not solve the problem as they only work if the offender is caught in the act. Farmers and rural landowners need to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police.”