Residents have been thanked for their part in East Cambridgeshire’s fight against fly-tipping after a continued drop in incidents. 

The district council (ECDC) found that the number of incidents has fallen year on year since 2017. 

Between 2021-22, there were 610 cases of fly-tipping in East Cambridgeshire according to government figures, down by 124 on the previous year. 

“Thanks to support from residents, the district council is starting to win the fight against fly-tipping,” an ECDC spokesperson said. 

“Apart from a blip in 2021, which has been attributed to the Covid lockdowns, the number of fly tips has reduced year on year. 

“The council is attributing this to support from residents who have been active in calling in to report tips, enabling ECDC to take swift action against offenders.” 

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Other household waste, which is waste that cannot typically fit in a litter bag such as large cardboard boxes, accounted for 145 fly-tipping cases in East Cambridgeshire, more than any other waste type. 

Out of 610 total incidents, 538 were highways-related; ECDC said evening police patrols have taken place to cut this figure. 

The ECDC spokesperson said: “The council has worked with parish councils and county council highways to explore ways to bollard byways to prevent vehicles being used for fly-tipping.” 

For 2021-22, 475 total actions against fly-tipping, 441 of those being investigation actions were taken in the district. 

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Since 2018, ECDC found that 137 enforcement actions including 23 fixed penalties for fly-tipping and 42 for littering were issued. 

And the council is seeking other ways to cut cases even more. 

The ECDC spokesperson added on top of enforcement actions, the council is “continually seeking ways to reduce the number of fly tips through public awareness campaigns, advice and targeting the worst affected areas.”