Fly-tipping incidents reported in England top one million and are worst in a decade

• Video report by ITV News Consumer Editor Chris Choi

More than one million incidents of fly-tipping were dealt by local authorities last year, new figures show.

A total of 1,072,000 incidents were logged by councils in England in 2018/2019 - an increase of eight per cent on the 998,000 cases reported in the previous period.

It is the first time more than one million incidents have been reported in England in a decade.

The increase represents a sharp rise on figures reported seven years ago, where 714,637 cases of fly-tipping were reported.

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The data, from the environment department, shows nearly two thirds of fly-tipped rubbish involves household waste.

The most common place for waste to be illegally abandoned was on pavements and roads, the report said.

Councils have the power to issue fixed penalty notices for smaller instances of fly-tipping, but there have been calls for tougher sentences for those who illegally dump waste.

The Local Government Association previously said authorities are struggling to keep up with the pressures of waste disposal, amid funding cuts.

The sheer amount of rubbish dumped in England alone could stretch from the capital to Moscow, the association said.