NEW figures show that fly-tipping costs have increased in Wiltshire by nearly 75 per cent in the last two years.

During the same time there was an increase of more than 41 per cent in the number of fly-tipping cases in the Wiltshire Council area, according to figures obtained by the Press Association following a Freedom of Information request.

In 2012/13 the bill for dealing with fly-tipping for Wiltshire Council rose from £159,298 to £278,181 in 2014/15.

During the same period there were 1,567 reports of fly-tipping to Wiltshire Council rising to 2,218.

There were 16 prosecutions by the council for fly-tipping in 2012/13, 13 the year following and 35 in 2014/15.

The rise of reports of fly-tipping in Wiltshire follow a national trend, with the Local Government Association calling for the introduction of on-the-spot fines to save council’s going to court.

Peter Box, of the LGA, said: “New powers would ensure councils can go even further in addressing what is often not just an eyesore, but also a serious public health risk, creating pollution and attracting vermin."

In June, outside the range of the latest figures, Wiltshire Council introduced a £40-a-year charge for its fortnightly garden waste collection service.

And on July 13 the council introduced changes to the opening hours of its recycling centres.

Opening each recycling centre for five days a week and reducing opening hours is expected to save the council around £290,000 a year without the need to permanently close any centres.

The household recycling centres, which are run by Hills Waste Solutions, are all open on the high usage days of Saturday, Sunday and Monday and two additional days every week.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “These figures show that we are responding to a rise in reported incidents of fly-tipping, with 35 prosecutions last year, as well as 60 fixed penalty notices and 227 statutory notices. It is now easier to report incidents of fly-tipping as a result of the introduction of our My Wiltshire smart phone app.

“There is evidence that much of the fly-tipped waste is of a commercial nature. We would advise residents to check the credentials of anyone taking rubbish away – householders are responsible for ensuring their rubbish is only passed to registered waste carriers. Ask for their waste carrier number and check it with the Environment Agency on  03708 506 506 or at  www.gov.uk/find-registered-waste-carrier.  

“The figures represent the years 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15, so pre-date recent changes to opening hours of Household Recycling Centres in Wiltshire. There is currently no indication that there has been any increase in fly-tipping as a result of these changes, though we will continue to monitor this in the coming months.

“Fly-tipping is an offence that Wiltshire Council takes extremely seriously and our investigations can lead to fixed penalty notices or prosecutions.

"Anyone with any information about incidents of flytipping should contact Wiltshire Council.

"Fly tipping can be reported on the My Wiltshire app and all reports would be treated in strict confidence. For more details visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk.”