As the “ugly blight” of fly-tipping in Wokingham gets worse, a new action plan sets out how the borough can tackle the issue.

Between April 2018 and March 2019, Wokingham Borough Council received 1,171 reports of fly-tipping. That’s about 93 times a month, and more than a 50 per cent increase on the 747 reported incidents the previous year.

The council has set out how it will deal with the problem — with fines, CCTV, regular inspections and clear advice — in the new fly-tipping strategy, which is due to be approved by councillors at a virtual meeting of the executive on April 22.

READ MORE: Wokingham leisure centre demolition begins early

Collecting and disposing of fly-tipped waste costs council taxpayers in Wokingham about £160,000 each year, according to the strategy report which states: “Fly-tipping causes an ugly blight on our everyday lives, damages wildlife, spoils scenery and is expensive to have removed.”

Actions to tackle fly-tipping in the new strategy include:

  • Installing more signs and CCTV in hotspot areas
  • Clearing fly-tipped waste on public land within five working days of reporting
  • Attaching a sticker on fly-tips after inspecting, to confirm they will be cleared soon
  • Regularly inspecting how businesses dispose of their waste
  • Issuing fines for fly-tipping and businesses who don’t dispose of their waste properly
  • Providing clear advice on waste and information on investigations and prosecutions

READ MORE: Bracknell's top five beer gardens as voted on Tripadvisor

The most common types of fly-tipped waste is household waste in black bin bags, followed by construction and demolition waste, white goods, green waste and tyres.

People caught fly-tipping can be fined either £80 or £400 by the council. Last year, the council issued about 50 fly-tipping fines.

Businesses have to document how they dispose of their waste, and any business found without these documents has two weeks to get the proper information, or face a fine of £300.

About 850 businesses across the borough are inspected a year, and in 2019 four out of 10 businesses inspected did not have the proper waste disposal documents.

People can report fly-tipping to the council on their website, telephone or email.