The government is set to dramatically increase maximum fines for environmental offences, with new legislation raising the penalty for fly-tipping waste to £5,000 and street littering to £750, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced.
These tougher on-the-spot fines, confirmed on Wednesday, are scheduled to come into force this summer.
The £5,000 maximum for fly-tipping represents a substantial 400 per cent increase from the previous £1,000 level. The top fine for street littering will also see a 50 per cent uplift, rising to £750.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “Fly-tipping and littering is a disgrace that blights local communities.
“Under this Government, criminals who break the rules will face heftier fines to clean up the mess they make.
“We are sending a clear message to those who dump their rubbish – we are coming after you and you will pay the price.”
Local authorities will retain full discretion over the level of fine issued, with penalties scaled to reflect the severity of the offence, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said.
Councils can issue fines anywhere between the minimum and maximum thresholds, ensuring that punishments remain proportionate, the Government added.
The Government has given local authorities instructions on identifying and seizing vehicles involved in fly-tipping, via new guidance, it said.
Recent figures reveal a 9 per cent surge in fly-tipping on public land last year, reaching unprecedented levels, with "brazen" acts of illegal waste disposal becoming increasingly common across streets and public spaces.
It forms part of the waste crime action plan which aims to crack down on waste offences from small-scale fly-tipping to large illegal waste sites, such as the 150-metre-long dump near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire and a 30,000-tonne heap in the protected area of Hoads Wood in Kent.
Fly-tippers could also face points on their licence, while councils are being urged to seize and crush vehicles used in waste dumping, and the Environment Agency will use “drone squads” to capture more evidence of illegal waste sites and software to flag HGVs being used to dump illegally.
