Hull council warns households face £400 fine for fly-tipped rubbish traced back to them

  • Allison Ogden-Newton, Chief Executive of charity Keep Britain Tidy, spoke to ITV News

Bosses at Hull City Council are warning people not to use rogue rubbish collectors offering to get rid of their excess Christmas waste.

Officials say the amount of rubbish produced over the festive period goes up by about a third.

Council appeals for help to identify fly-tippers

Officials say unlicensed collectors take advantage by going door-to-door, or posting on social media, offering to dispose of waste in return for payment.

The council said that, while residents might pay for such a service in good faith, they could face legal action if their rubbish ends up on the streets.

Fly-tipped rubbish linked back to households can bring a £400 fixed penalty, or prosecution and an unlimited fine, plus a bill for clean-up costs.

18,000 fly-tips like this one had to be cleared in Hull in 2022.

In 2022, Hull City Council issued 478 fixed-penalty notices, processed 112 successful prosecutions and cleared approximately 18,000 fly-tips at a cost of around £500,000.

"Whether it's bags of wrapping paper, cardboard boxes or food packaging, your Christmas rubbish is at risk of being carelessly dumped if given to the wrong people," said Mark Cornall, an environment enforcement team leader at the council.

"Excess household waste can be taken to one of Hull's three household waste recycling centres, which are open seven days a week.”

For residents who live nearby, fly-tipping is a blight on their neighbourhood.

One man, Michael, said: “It’s annoying, the vermin and the foxes rip bags open and it gets dragged everywhere.”

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