ONE of the region's Crime Commissioners – who is taking part in a national crackdown on fly-tipping – says the crime is having a 'huge impact' on rural communities.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, is on the advisory panel of an independent government review which is making recommendations to tackle serious waste crime and fly-tipping, which costs the economy more than £600m a year. New measures include extra financial penalties for offenders.

A recent statistic from the National Rural Crime Survey showed that fly-tipping was the most common concern expressed by residents and businesses in North Yorkshire. Ms Mulligan said: “At the moment those responsible have no real cause to fear the consequence of their actions. That has to change.”