Fly-tippers in Swindon could now face fines of up to £5,000.
Swindon Borough Council has introduced tougher penalties for fly-tipping offences under new Government regulations, raising the maximum fixed penalty notice from £1,000 to £5,000.
The local authority has also increased its own FPN for fly-tipping from the previous maximum of £400 to £5,000 for the most serious offences.
The change comes as part of the council's ongoing crackdown on environmental crime, following more than 2,000 reports of fly-tipping across the borough since January 2026.
Councillor Kevin Parry, Cabinet member for recycling and streetscene, said: "Since becoming Cabinet Member, I wanted to send a very clear message from day one: if you fly-tip in Swindon, we will come after you and you can expect to pay up to a £5,000 fine.
"Fly-tipping is not a minor inconvenience. It blights neighbourhoods, damages our environment and leaves ordinary taxpayers footing the bill to clear up other people's mess.
"We are taking a firm, common-sense approach that backs our communities, supports law-abiding residents and holds offenders accountable for their actions.
"Our Enviro Crime team is already identifying offenders and issuing fines, and we will continue to use every enforcement tool available to us to keep Swindon's streets, parks and public spaces clean."
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Fly-tipping is a criminal offence that blights neighbourhoods, harms the environment and costs taxpayers thousands of pounds every year to clear up.
The council’s enviro crime team investigates reports from residents, gathers evidence, and takes enforcement action against those responsible.
Since January 2026, the team has issued 49 fines at the previous £400 rate, totalling £19,600 in penalties.
The Adver previously highlighted the results of a Freedom of Information request which revealed that no fly-tipping prosecutions were brought to court by Swindon Borough Council over the last year, in which 56 fixed penalty notices were issued.
We also spoke to residents in the town's historic Railway Village who were fed up with the area being a hotspot for dumped household waste.
Residents are being encouraged to continue reporting fly-tipping through the council’s website swindon.gov.uk to help enforcement officers identify offenders and build cases against them.
The council is also reminding residents that they have a legal duty to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly.
Anyone paying another person to remove waste should check they are a registered waste carrier, as they could still be held responsible if their waste is later found to have been fly-tipped.
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