The beauty of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire and Yorkshire and its inspiring conservation efforts was captured in the latest edition of the BBC’s Countryfile, which aired on 27 April and is available now on BBC iPlayer.
And yet, depressingly, it was Datshiane Navanayagam’s segment on fly-tipping that set social media alight, drew the attention of tabloids and the local press, and resulted in a full mailbag here at BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Navanayagam’s investigative news story delved into the increasing problem of rural fly-tipping, especially on agricultural land, which farmers are having to pay for themselves to clean up. The average cost to a farmer of clearing up the waste is £13,000 after criminal gangs are brazenly dumping rubbish in fields, gateways and country lanes, an issue that is increasingly widespread yet often goes unreported.
“Fly-tipping is getting worse. The latest government statistics show there were over 1.15 million fly tipping incidents in 2023 and 2024 in England alone,” Navanayagam explained. “That's up 6% on the previous year. The same figures show a rise in fly-tipping on farms of nearly 2%. But those statistics don’t reveal the real problem of fly-tipping in the countryside. Even the government admits that most cases of fly-tipping on farms and private land are never reported.”
The programme revealed how the number of prosecutions is still relatively low, with only around 0.1% of fly-tipping incidents leading to a prosecution. There were only 1,598 successful cases last year, which is 5% less than the year before, with the cost of taking the cases to court not making it financially viable for councils to pursue action.
Some farmers are burning or illegally burying the waste as they can’t afford to dispose of it, with some even returning the waste to the fly-tippers.
“There are risks of intimidation from criminal gangs and concerns of apathy by the government and local councils that it’s not being taken seriously,” said Tim Bamford from the Country, Land and Business Association. “It’s costing farmers hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds a year, with some paying six-figure costs per year to clear up the waste. That’s money that’s coming out of their business that they can’t get back.”
A glimmer of hope was offered by Dorset Council’s proactive and targeted approach to fly-tipping, however. An initiative by the council and local crime commission, which includes signage, an increased number of investigations and collaboration with landowners, has witnessed an 80% increase in fines for fly-tipping.
John Craven will also be reporting on fly-tipping in his column in the June edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine, out on 12 June.
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Main image: BBC Countryfile
