Councillors at North Norfolk District Council have passed a motion to raise fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping to the legal maximum of £1,000 and to explore more avenues for investigating perpetrators.

The agreed motion also included lobbying the government to amend the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to better protect landowners when fly-tipping takes place on their land.

It comes after the council recorded 462 incidents over the past three years, with 47 cases alone reported on public land in October 2025.

Councillor Callum Ringer said: "Where we can prosecute, we should prosecute, and we do - but we also need the tools to do that effectively, and at the moment, those tools don't always exist.

"That is something that is holding back local enforcement, and it doesn't act as a very good deterrent.

"Something needs to change centrally, to indicate the government are serious about tackling environmental crime."

Councillor Callum Ringer (Image: Supplied)

Where clear evidence is present, the council can prosecute environmental crimes, but often with rural crimes, there is often no CCTV or witnesses.

There have also been 81 reported fly-tipping incidents on private land in the three-year period.

Currently, the landowner has the financial responsibility of clearing any fly-tipping on their property.

The amendment proposes that the government take financial responsibility for the removal of that waste.

In response to the passed motion, some people on social media have raised issues with booking recycling centres and tips, linking this to the increased fly-tipping incidents.

One argued: "If you make it more difficult to dispose of waste what do you expect as the outcome?"

However, Mr Ringer has clarified that the tips are run by Norfolk County Council and not the district council.

© Eastern Daily Press