Tipping point: Is fly-tipping getting out of control in Shropshire?

It blights communities and is a hefty weight on the purse of the taxpayer.

Fly-tipping has been on the rise, with some councils spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on clean-up costs.

In one of the worse cases ever seen in the region it emerged earlier this month that tons of rubbish including teddy bears, food packaging and even family photos had been dumped near a disused railway line off the A4169 near Horsehay, Telford.

It is expected to cost landowner Network Rail tens of thousands of pounds to clear the site and is just one of a spate of incidents to recently hit the headlines.

Last month in Shropshire, an eight-ton pile of rubble was dumped in Back Lane, near Newport, and a car was written off after the driver crashed into it.

Tiles and black plastic bags were also discovered at The Wrekin in November by Brendan Robinson, of Priorslee, who said it was the first time he had seen fly-tipping "on that scale".

Meanwhile in the West Midlands, residents in Wolverhampton spoke of their fury of fly-tipping in the city.

Last month Sohail Khan, of Craddock Street, said the situation had got "out of control" following a spate of incidents at the former Strykers site in Shaw Road.

Earlier this month in Walsall more than 20 industrial sized fridges and freezers were dumped in a lane between Aldridge and Great Barr.

Fly-tipping has been on the rise in England in the past few years, with 900,000 incidents in 2014/2015 – the latest figures available – and councils spending £50 million on clear-up costs.

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has surveyed local authorities in England and said 70 per cent of them viewed fly-tipping as a "major problem".

It wants to work together with councils and waste contractors to raise awareness of the issue and is campaigning for fly-tipping penalties in court to be reviewed.

"We know that local authorities are at their wits' end trying to tackle the growing crisis of dumped rubbish," Allison Ogden-Newton, the charity's chief executive said.

"Our surveys show that there is a real challenge here to educate the public that not only is it not OK to fly-tip, it is illegal and can result in a substantial fine for householders and a criminal record."

In the Midlands, some councils have reported a similar upward trend to the national picture.

Authorities say they are using CCTV to catch criminals but are also relying heavily on the eyes and ears of the community to eradicate fly-tipping and help save funds which could be better spent on crucial services.

In Telford, there were 2,753 recorded times when rubbish was dumped illegally in 2012 compared to 4,524 in 2015.

And in Powys, new figures from the county council also show an upward trend in fly-tipping. There were more than 1,000 reports in 2015/16 with the council spending £62,462 to clean the mess up.

Powys County Council spokesman Lee Evans says action is being taken to try to drive down illegal dumping.

He said: "We are actively undertaking a programme of waste awareness and enforcement to educate residents and businesses about how to lawfully recycle and dispose of their waste."

The cost to Shropshire Council for clearing fly-tipping, as part of its street cleansing service, has seen a rise and fall in recent years.

It cost the authority £53,616 in 2013/14, £57,241 in 2014/15 and £40,381 in 2015/16 but incidents fell year on year.

There were 1,550 in 2014, 1,333 the following year and 1,300 in 2016.

Last year it was revealed more than 800 complaints of fly-tipping had been made in Shrewsbury in just three years.

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, today said he would be raising the issue of fly-tipping with the government.

He said: "We pride ourselves for tourism in Shropshire. It's important to keep the streets clean and safe.

"I'm going to raise the issue in the House of Commons to find out what additional resources the government can provide."

Despite the high number of fly-tipping incidents, prosecutions have been small in comparison, but last year councils were also given powers to issue on-the-spot penalties of up to £400.

Those prosecuted through the courts can face a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months in prison.

Shropshire Council has prosecuted two people in the last three years and issued seven littering fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping.

Council spokesman John Palmer said: "Fly-tipping incidents are investigated when practicable, and subject to what is found during the investigation, further action may be taken. In many cases a warning or advisory letter may be sent to an alleged fly-tipper or a fixed penalty notice for the lesser offence of littering may be issued.

"When sufficient evidence is available we would seek to prosecute the fly-tipper."

Star comment: Make sure you report fly-tippers:

There are those who are trying to make a connection between the loss of recycling facilities and the rise in fly-tipping. And while there may be a cause-and-effect link, that is missing the point.

There has been considerable investment in recycling facilities across the region and Shropshire is one of the UK's most forward-thinking counties.

There has been a sea change in attitudes. People who once threw newspapers, bottles and cans in bins no longer do. As a society, we are greener and cleaner. We don't just talk about caring for the environment, we also do something about it.

Those who have larger household items are generally predisposed to finding an environmentally-responsible solution to their waste. And yet a small minority persist in mindless, anti-social and polluting behaviour. Mattresses and general waste is dumped in lay-bys, fields and rural lanes for others to clean up. It is simply not acceptable.

Irrespective of the recycling and collection facilities that are available, we all have a duty to care for our environment. We live in a beautiful part of the country and it is bespoiled by those idiots who fly tip. They should be reported to the police – and they should learn the error of their ways.