Wiltshire Council has more than doubled the cost of fines handed out to fly-tippers in a countywide crackdown.

Fly-tippers in Wiltshire currently face fixed penalty notices of £400 for small-scale waste dumping.

But from April 23 onwards, these fines will be raised to £1,000 in line with changes to legislation allowing the council to up the penalty.

Meanwhile, litterers and people who fail to prevent fly-tipping, by handing their waste to an unlicensed person who then dumps it, will also be slapped with larger punishments.

The current fixed penalty notices for these offences are £150 and £400, or £100 and £200 if paid within 10 days.

But from April 23 they will be raised to £500 and £600, with no early payment discount.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: A fly-tipping incident reported to Wiltshire CouncilA fly-tipping incident reported to Wiltshire Council (Image: Wiltshire Council)

Cllr Nick Holder, cabinet member for highways, street scene and flooding, believes the increased punishments will further deter offenders.

He said: “We increased the number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) we issued for fly-tipping by 118 per cent in 2023, but whenever we issue a fly-tipping FPN, people always tell us that the fines should be higher to deter further environmental crimes.

“Thanks to changes in government legislation, we can now raise the FPN rates, with a fine of £1,000 for anyone who is caught fly-tipping in Wiltshire.

“For more serious offences, we will prosecute fly-tippers rather than issue an FPN, and anyone found guilty in court could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

Cllr Holder also insisted that raising the penalty for fly-tipping is not a “money-making exercise.” 

He added: “This isn’t a money-making exercise, as all funds raised through FPNs have to be invested back into the service to catch more fly-tippers.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: A fly-tipping incident reported to Wiltshire CouncilA fly-tipping incident reported to Wiltshire Council (Image: Wiltshire Council)

“We have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling fly-tipping, including employing more enforcement staff to catch criminals, using new technologies such as covert cameras, and further promoting our award-winning We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign.

“As part of our business plan commitment, we’ll continue to do all we can to fight the scourge of fly-tipping in Wiltshire – and these increased fines will help us to do that.”

People with information on fly-tipping in Wiltshire have been urged to report it via the council’s website.

Any household or business paying someone to take their waste away must ensure they have a valid waste carrier licence, record the vehicle details of the people collecting it, and get a receipt or waste transfer note.