Reports of fly-tipping in Salford increased by 23.5 pc during the pandemic.
There were 5,170 incidents of fly-tipping reported to Salford council between April 2020 and March 2021 – almost 1,000 more reports than the year before.
Between January and March of this year alone, during the latest lockdown, there were 1,619 reports of fly-tipping – a rise of 18 pc compared to 2020.
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The figures, which include reports from members of the public as well as the council's own reporting, were revealed to a scrutiny panel on Monday (July 19).
Assistant director David Seagar told councillors that fly-tipping is a 'challenge'.
He said: "It's a national thing. It's not just Salford and it's not just Greater Manchester. Salford is actually in a reasonable place nationally."
The council boss said the local authority has been collecting more waste during the pandemic as people have been spending more time at home.
He suggested the increase in fly-tipping could be related to a rise in DIY.
Reports of fly-tipping fell to the lowest level last year between October and December when 943 reports were received by the local authority, down from 1,338 during the previous three-month period of July to September 2020.
Between April and June last year, there were 1,270 reports of fly-tipping, an increase of almost 42 pc compared to the same period in the previous year.
The council can fine people for fly-tipping with fixed penalty notices of £150.
But enforcement through fines and prosecutions are a last resort, he said, as the local authority's approach is to focus on awareness and education first.
During the pandemic, the number of fixed penalty notices handed out by Salford council for fly-tipping fell from 1,174 in the previous year to 551.
The number of prosecutions also fell from 191 to 106 during this period.
But Seagar said these figures have been affected by the coronavirus crisis.
He said: "We've got to have a really good case to go to court with and that's a challenge."
Salford council has access to a network of CCTV coverage throughout the city.
But even with footage of fly-tipping, it can be difficult to identify the person who is caught on camera unless their vehicle registration number is visible.
Sometimes fly-tippers can be seen returning to their properties on CCTV – but a 'murky figure' alone is not enough for the council to catch the perpetrator.
Seagar also praised the litter pickers – estimated at more than 1,000 – who have helped remove more than 2,500 bags of litter over the last 12 months.
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