Fly-tipping
Reporting fly-tipping
Before you start, you will need to know:
- the location of the fly-tip
- the type of land it was on
- the type of waste fly-tipped
- how to enable location services on your device
If you witnessed the fly-tip, we will also ask for as much detail as possible. This may include times, dates, vehicle details, company details and a description of the fly-tipper. We will also ask you to leave your details in case we need any further information, although you can choose to remain anonymous if you prefer.
However providing your details is important for any investigation of evidence at a fly-tip as we may be limited in the action we can take without being able to contact you.
What is fly-tipping?
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of household or trade waste. It can vary in size, from as little as a single bag of rubbish to domestic items such as furniture and fridges. You are able to report a litter problemonline to the council and afull litter bin as these are not fly-tipping.
We remove fly-tipping from publicly-owned land, which includes roads and lay-bys. If the fly-tip is on private land such as people's gardens, driveways and business properties it is the responsibility of the landowner to remove it - for more information regarding this please go to:
National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (opens new window)
Waste accumulation is not fly-tipping and is a term given to a build-up of waste, normally within the boundary of a business or residential premises, which is having, or will likely lead to a negative impact on the surrounding area. This might include a neighbour who has stored a large amount of odorous rubbish in their garden, or a business who has failed to dispose of large volumes of packaging in a timely manner.
Further information on waste accumulation and how to report it can be found on ourwaste accumulation page.
What to do if you discover a fly-tip
If the offence is being committed at the time of the call, please contact the police.
Residents are advised not to touch fly-tipped waste, as it may be dangerous. The council treats fly-tipping as a serious offence and will prosecute anyone caught fly-tipping waste.
If you discover fly-tipped waste:
- do not approach the person(s) fly-tipping
- if you do approach, or cannot avoid coming into contact with the suspect, consider your own safety
- avoid conflict or altercation and leave the area if necessary
- if possible, take a photo or record the incident using discretion from a safe distance
- where appropriate, follow our evidence gathering procedure
Please don't ignore it, use our online form to report it, providing as much detail as possible.
If you find a discarded syringe or needle, do not touch it.
Report the discarded syringe or needle us as soon as possible on 01362 656870 providing as much detail as possible about the location, such as:
- The nearest address
- The nearest street name.
Your phone number would be helpful (although this is optional) as our team may require a more precise location if they have difficulty finding the syringe.
This service is free of charge.
What we do
There are three main ways that we tackle fly-tipping:
- we use state-of-the-art CCTV to catch offenders
- we have a team of professionals who investigate every case
- we have the legal power to issue fixed penalty notices to fly-tippers, which can lead to prosecution
Breckland Council (the Council) use CCTV and surveillance to help deter inconsiderate behaviour, protect our residents and public places, whilst observing offenders who may seek to harm our communities and break the law. CCTV can provide crucial evidence to enable enforcement action and prosecution, where appropriate, of such offenders.
On occasion, it may become necessary for the Council to use captured footage or images to identify particular person(s) of interest. This does not always mean that they are suspects under investigation, and may include people who could provide key information, or a witness account of an incident, or someone that may be involved with an issue, incident or offence that is the subject of the investigation.
How can you help with identification?
If you wish to help Breckland Council with identifying person(s) of interest, please click on the button below.
Visit our Person of Interest Identification page
All viewers including members of the public, third party associations and media organisations should not copy, share or publicise the images and footage beyond this website.
What can you do
There are many ways you can help tackle fly-tipping, these include:
- making sure any workmen you hire dispose of your waste responsibly
- making sure all your waste is kept secure until it's collected
- asking to see a Waste Carrier Certificate when using a private company
- asking a private company where they intend to take the waste
Registered waste carriers can be checked at theEnvironment Agency Public Register (opens new window)
If you believe or are aware that waste is being disposed of illegally, or transported by an unlicensed carrier, please report it via the unlicensed waste carrier form.
Ways to dispose of waste
- You can dispose of unwanted items in many of therecycling centres (opens new window)
- You can organise aBulky Waste Collection for large unwanted items
- Freecycle (opens new window) your unwanted items or furniture
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