Defra's latest statistics reveal councils in England dealt with 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents in 2024/2025 - up 9pc on the previous year and the highest figure since new methods for recording cases were introduced in 2018/2019.

More than 100,000 incidents were recorded in the East of England, with council land accounting for roughly 50pc, and highways the next biggest category at about 32pc.

Fly-tipping incidents by land type in the East of England, 2024-25 (Image: Newsquest)

But these figures only account for waste illegally dumped on public land and reported to the authorities – so the true number of incidents will be much higher.

Many fly-tipping incidents occur on privately-owned land, leaving the victims paying to clear up waste ranging from sofas and fridges to car parts and commercial waste.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said East Anglia's countryside is increasingly being targeted by organised crime gangs who "know that rural areas are under-policed and resourced".

CLA East regional director Cath Crowther said: "Fly-tipping incidents in the East are alarmingly common with criminals showing complete disregard for the countryside. Barely a week goes by without me hearing of one of our members being a victim of fly-tipping.

“You never have to look too far to see waste dumped illegally and the latest figures show the East of England continues to be a regular dumping ground for criminals.

“These criminals don’t care about the countryside, wildlife or the human impact of their actions. Frankly, they think they can get away with fly-tipping and today’s stats show there’s not enough of a deterrent."

Defra's figures also show that while council enforcement actions and fixed penalty notices have increased by 8pc and 9pc respectively, the number of court fines for fly-tipping has decreased by 9pc.

The CLA is calling for the appointment of a national fly-tipping commissioner to co-ordinate agencies, monitor incidents on private land and benchmark enforcement performance.

The group also wants to see fines enforced on businesses and homeowners whose waste is found dumped, and more support for victims via a new permit scheme to allow farmers who did not knowingly permit fly-tipping to dispose of it free of charge at a waste disposal site free.​

Farmers and private landowners are often left with huge clean-up costs to clear waste illegally dumped on their land (Image: EA)

A CLA survey found almost three quarters of farmers are affected by fly-tipping each year, with some targeted multiple times each month.

Each incident costs on average £1,000 to clear up, with 85pc of respondents saying they have invested in measures such as CCTV, lighting and other security.

© Eastern Daily Press