a pile of fly tipped junk in a field in England

Fly Tipping England 2021 – Regional Analysis

16 December 2021

Fly Tipping England 2021 - Regional Analysis

If you are interested in a regional analysis of fly-tipping in England, welcome! You are in the right place.

This blog covers a detailed regional analysis of fly-tipping in England based on the latest Defra statistics. London recorded the highest fly-tipping rates, more than double the national average of 20. The North-East was not far behind, with the total number of fly-tipping incidents increasing by 27%.

Below we have collated a table showing the regional breakdown of fly tipping rates.


1. Fly-tipping ranked by rate per 1000 people
2. Local authorities with the highest rates of fly tipping
3. Local authorities with the lowest rates of fly tipping

 

a no fly tipping sign in England

 

1. Fly tipping ranked by rate per 1000 people

In 2020-2021 England recorded 1,134,000 instances of fly-tipping. This represents an overall increase year on year of 16% and is equivalent to 20 fly-tips per 1000 people. However, if we look beyond this and hone in on the performance of different regions across the UK, the story is far more complex.

Table A - Fly tipping by region ranked by rate of fly tipping instances per 1000 people 

Region  2020 /21 fly tips  2019 /20 fly tips  change  % of total fly tips  fly tips per 1000 residents 
London  384,834  360,080  7%  34%  43 
North East  81,867  64,628  27%  7%  31 
North West  140,220  115,192  22%  12%  19 
East Midlands  90,479  75,081  21%  8%  19 
Yorkshire and The Humber  90,055  91,481  -2%  8%  16 
West Midlands  90,585  70,830  28%  8%  15 
South East  121,283  90,507  34%  11%  13 
East  79,726  61,423  30%  7%  13 
South West  55,162  50,506  9%  5%  10 
                
England total  1,134,211  979,728  16%    20 

Source: Defra / Lovejunk (December 2021)

 

London recorded 43 fly-tips for every 1000 residents. A fly-tipping rate that was more than double the national average of 20. As a result, London was responsible for 34% (1 in 3) of all fly-tipping incidents in England from 2020 to 2021. This is despite Londoners only representing 16% of the total population.  

The North East region was not far behind London, with the second worse rate of fly-tipping per population. Last year it had 31 instances per 1000 people and also saw its total number of incidents increase by 27%, from 64,000 to 82,000. 

The biggest year on year increase came from the South East region, which grew from 91,000 instances to 121,000. An increase of 34%. Although, it still remains well below the national average rate of fly-tips per 1000 residents, at only 13. 

The East and the West Midlands also saw a jump, growing 30% and 28%, respectively.

The most improved region was Yorkshire & Humber region which had a 2% fall in fly-tipping incidents. Great job!

 

2. Local authorities with highest rates of fly tipping  

The table below shows the twenty local authorities with the highest fly-tipping rates. As you can see, this table is dominated by London boroughs, with the City of London authority at the top of the list. This is not so surprising given its proximity to so many people and buildings. Northampton in the East Midlands had the highest rate outside of London.

 

Table B – Top 20 Local authorities with highest rates of tipping per 1000 people 

Local authority  Region  Fly tips 2021  Per 1000 people 
City of London  London  2,112  193 
Camden  London  36,696  131 
Hounslow  London  30,902  114 
Brent  London  33,467  102 
Hammersmith and Fulham  London  16,828  92 
Redbridge  London  26,053  85 
Haringey  London  21,950  82 
Northampton  East Midlands  17,984  80 
Merton  London  15,857  77 
Reigate and Banstead  South East  10,530  71 
Southwark  London  21,386  67 
Redcar and Cleveland  North East  8,686  63 
Pendle  North West  5,716  62 
Croydon  London  22,719  58 
Newham  London  20,765  58 
Newcastle upon Tyne  North East  16,150  53 
Kensington and Chelsea  London  8,043  51 
Liverpool  North West  24,326  49 
Hackney  London  13,609  48 
Peterborough  East  9,744  48 

Source: Defra / Lovejunk (December 2021) 

 

3. Local authorities with LOWEST rates of fly tipping  

The table below shows the local council authorities with the lowest fly-tipping rates per population. It's clear to see from this that the standout winner is Oadby and Wigston, which reported only nine instances last year despite a population of 57,000.

Oadby and Wigston, we salute you!

Table C– Top 20 Local authorities with LOWEST rates of tipping per 1000 people 

Local authority  Region  Fly tips 2021  Per 1000 people 
Oadby and Wigston  East Midlands 
Broxtowe  East Midlands  183 
Chelmsford  East  312 
Amber Valley  East Midlands  229 
Herefordshire, County of  West Midlands  392 
Ryedale  Yorkshire and The Humber  114 
Torridge  South West  141 
Central Bedfordshire  East  670 
South Lakeland  North West  260 
Lewes  South East  265 
Wigan  North West  941 
East Devon  South West  436 
Shropshire  West Midlands  1,004 
Uttlesford  East  287 
South Cambridgeshire  East  521 
Craven  Yorkshire and The Humber  190 
Swindon  South West  739 
Portsmouth  South East  724 
Mid Sussex  South East  542 
Malvern Hills  West Midlands  287 

Source: Defra / Lovejunk (December 2021)

 

 

In conclusion

Fly tipping is a serious issue for our local areas and the environment. As well as being an increasing source of pollution, it is a potential danger to public health and a hazard to our wildlife. Local authorities are struggling under the pressure to keep this ever-growing issue under control. However, it is worth mentioning that the LoveJunk marketplace solves this issue for you!

It appears that fly-tipping is here to stay, and the causes for this are varied. For a more specific look at regions of the UK, please read our fly-tipping analysis across London and fly-tipping analysis Brighton and South East, which covers all of the South-East.

For a more visual representation, check out our interactive fly tipping map for England, which analyses every local authority, council, and region of England. This map shows rates of fly-tipping per 1000 residents and is based on the latest Defra statistics.

 

interactive fly tipping map for England

 

 

Fly-tipping is a filthy business, but join us in clearing it up.

 

 

 

And Finally…

Thanks for reading! We hope you found our fly-tipping to England guide useful. If you’re looking for safe and speedy bulky waste removal and disposal, we definitely recommend using the LoveJunk marketplace. We are on a mission to end fly-tipping. For any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch!



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