Darlington Council has spent more than £822,000 cleaning up fly-tipped rubbish in town in the last five years, new figures have revealed.
Data obtained by The Northern Echo shows that, between 2020 and the end of 2024, there have been 13,676 reports of fly-tipping across the town.
The cost to clean up the dumped rubbish in this time has cost the council a staggering £822,113 - and the number of reports has been rising year on year since 2021.
A council spokesman said the cost of fly-tipping on the local authority, and ultimately the residents of Darlington, is money that “could have been invested on other essential services.”
It reminded residents that side waste, and bags of rubbish placed outside wheelie bins, is classed as fly-tipping and contributes to the figures.
Last year saw the highest number of incidents of fly-tipping since before 2020, with a total of 4,056 reports and a clean-up cost of £234,309.
The cost of the fly-tip, of course, depends on the size, with rubbish that needs a tipper lorry or transit van load costing £115 each time compared to £7 for a single black bag.
Here are the total number of fly-tipping reports in the last five years, and how much it has cost the council in the last year.
Litter louts could face a fine of up to £50,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years, and the council has the option to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone caught dumping unwanted household items, littering, or leaving out domestic waste.
The fines can be as much as £400 and, although it acts as a deterrent, it also saves the council time and money without having to pursue offenders through the courts.
A council spokesman said: “The figures for the number of fly-tips do also include side waste, bags of rubbish placed out for collection alongside residents’ wheeled bins, as well as the more common items associated with fly-tipping.
“We’ve been working hard to remind residents that only waste or recycling that is in the bins, caddies or boxes provided will be taken on collection day – side waste is classed as fly-tipping and we do take action against those who continue to ignore the rules.
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“Our civic enforcement officers also investigate larger fly-tips and whenever possible the culprits are taken to court.
“At the same time, we do also have a small team in a vehicle which is employed solely to go round our back lanes each week to remove fly-tipped items.
“Fly-tipping has cost the council, and ultimately our residents, in excess of £822,000 over the last five years up to 2024, and this is money that could have been invested on other essential services.”
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