The government has announced plans to “seize and crush” vehicles used to commit waste offences as part of a new crackdown on fly-tipping.
Under measures outlined Tuesday, councils will work with the police to identify, seize and crush vehicles used by waste criminals. The government has said drones and mobile CCTV cameras will be deployed to identify cars and vans belonging to fly-tippers so they can be destroyed.
It comes as ministers launch a review to ensure councils are not stymied by “red tape” in the fight against fly-tipping.
At present, local authorities do have the power to seize vehicles linked to fly-tipping, which can lead to them selling or destroying it, however the government states it is not a widely used tactic — with just two councils accounting for the majority of the vehicles seized in the 2023/24 period.
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The new review is designed to investigate what measures could potentially be taken to increase the use of these powers, in a bid to ensure more vehicles involved in the illegal dumping of waste are taken off the streets.
The Conservatives have rubbished the proposals, dismissing them as “reheated announcements and policies”.
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Meanwhile, so-called “waste cowboys” offering illegal disposal services will now face up to five years in prison for operating illegally under new legislation.
Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “Waste criminals and fly-tippers who blight our towns and villages have gone unpunished for too long.
“That ends today. The government is calling time on fly-tipping. I will not stand by while this avalanche of rubbish buries our communities.
“Under the Plan for Change, this government will seize and crush fly-tippers vans’ to clean up Britain’s streets.”
Under new measures, the Environment Agency will also carry out identity and criminal record checks on waste cowboys. The body will be handed more resources, with the cost of policing funded through permits, as well as the power to revoke permits, issue enforcement notices and hefty fines.
Labour Party analysis of official government figures, released February, notes that rates of fly-tipping in England increased by more than a third to over 3,000 incidents per day under the last Conservative government.
Between 2019 and 2024, Labour says, the number of total fly-tipping incidents shot up by 172,000. At the same time, fixed penalty notices to penalise those dumping rubbish fell by more than 12,000 since 2019.
The measures also come after Savanta polling revealed that over half (51 per cent) of UK adults have witnessed the blight of fly-tipping in their local area, with 43 per cent saying they had not.
The research, published earlier this week and commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found 81 per cent of adults believe the government needs to do more to stop fly-tipping and littering.
Older respondents aged 55+ are more likely to think the government needs to do more about fly-tipping and littering than their younger counterparts (91 per cent vs 81 per cent of 35-54s; and 68 per cent of 18-34s).
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “On the Tories’ watch, fly-tipping skyrocketed and enforcement against criminal rubbish dumpers went down. They badly let communities down and had no plan to turn things around. Other parties like Reform didn’t even mention fly-tipping in their manifesto – they simply don’t care about cleaning up our communities.
“The Labour government is cracking down on criminal fly-tippers and won’t hesitate to seize and crush vehicles used in facilitating these crimes against communities. Only Labour’s Plan for Change is delivering the renewal our country needs.”
Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Wherever Labour is in charge, waste is piling high — like in Birmingham, where Labour’s inability to stand up to their union paymasters has left rat-infested rubbish littered across the streets.
“And with statistics showing that of the 50 worst local areas for fly-tipping, 72 per cent are Labour controlled it is clear that voting Labour gets you rubbish and rats.
“So the British public deserve real action, not this series of reheated announcements and policies already introduced by previous governments that Labour is peddling. It is clear only a vote for the Conservatives on 1 May will deliver better services and lower taxes.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper commented: “Under the Conservatives’ watch, local communities have been plagued by a fly-tipping epidemic. From overflowing bins to piles of hazardous waste, fly-tipping is blighting our landscapes and causing misery for residents.
“Enough is enough. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a Fly-Tipping Fighting Fund, to push for stronger local enforcement and tougher penalties for offenders.
“As Brits head to the polls this week, they know that a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for a local champion who will hold the government to account on issues that matter to their local communities.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
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