DRIVING out into some of our beautiful countryside, it doesn’t take long to spot instances of fly-tipping on verges at the side of the road.

It makes me so angry to see such a callous disregard of our stunning environment. But now the Labour Government is fighting back. We are extending the points system so that, as well as traffic offences, those caught fly-tipping will have points added to their licence.

The government is also empowering councils to seize and crush vehicles belonging to people caught fly-tipping. According to the latest figures from the year 2024 to 2025, councils in England dealt with 1.26-million fly-tipping incidents, of which 62 per cent involved household waste. So who is responsible for the clear up? Local authorities are responsible for investigating, clearing and taking appropriate enforcement action for small scale fly-tipping on public land.

In England, the Environment Agency is responsible for dealing with larger-scale fly-tipping (more than a lorry load), hazardous waste and fly-tipping by organised gangs. But on private land, it is normally the responsibility of the landowner to remove waste. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said the average fly-tip is around the same size as the back of a small van. It hopes the threat of licence penalties will stop drivers from thinking about illegally dumping waste along roadsides, at beauty spots and other places.

DEFRA Secretary of State Emma Reynolds said: “Fly-tipping damages our communities and the environment and we are taking action. Litter louts who repeatedly break the law will see points added to their licence – and risk losing it for good if they continue to offend.”

Last month, DEFRA published guidance to help councils seize and crush more vehicles used for fly-tipping, or repurpose them for clean-up operations, along with advice on how to take cases to court. But in recent years, fly-tipping hasn’t just involved the odd item lobbed out the back of a van. It has become big business, and organised crime has taken over.

A series of vast illegal dumps have gained national attention in recent months. These dumps have been created over months or even years. The Environment Agency has been tasked with beginning the clean-up operations but the cost for such crime is exorbitant.

The government’s latest proposals are part of a wider waste crime action plan that is due to launch soon, which will set out a series of steps to crack down on rubbish-related crimes.

Here in Cornwall, there is universal disgust with the practice from anyone I talk to about it. Landowners, particularly our farmers, are especially aggrieved as more often than not they are having to do most of the heavy lifting to clear up the mess.

So it’s good to see the government adopting a zero-tolerance attitude to fly-tipping, funding councils to support the clear up and sending out very clear signals to the would-be criminals that if you are caught, you will be punished.