Lewisham (Parliament Politics Magazine) – New government data reveals a rise in fly-tipping cases in Lewisham between 2023-2024, raising concerns over environmental and public health impacts.
According to data released by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), there were a lot of fly-tipping incidents in England’s local authorities last year between 2023 and 2024.
A total of 27,599 fly-tipping cases were reported in Lewisham between 2023 and 2024, a 13% increase from the previous year.
Fly-tipping was most common on Lewisham’s roadways, where it occurred in an astounding 22,138 incidents, or 80% of the total.
But with 2,312 incidents, footpaths and bridleways also accounted for 8=8% of the places where fly-tipping occurred most frequently.
Black bags and other domestic rubbish were among the most frequently fly-tipped items in Lewisham, with 7,400 and 6,528 instances, respectively.
Lewisham did, however, also report a large number of business garbage occurrences; 3,187 of the fly-tipping cases were commercial black bags.
White goods including refrigerators and freezers (1,819), building and demolition debris (2,816), and other electrical equipment (1,334) were also frequently disposed of.
There were also several more troubling fly-tips, such as 32 clinical events and nine documented asbestos disposal situations.
The majority of fly-tips were either single black bags discovered dumped (6,920) or single car boot loads (9,735).
However, there were also 3,881 fly-tips involving small van loads and 1,219 transit van loads in total last year.
Fly-tipping occurrences have sharply increased over the past five years, with reports of 4,294 incidences between 2020 and 2021 and 29,515 cases between 2021 and 2022.
Although there was a minor drop in instances the following year, to 24,327, the numbers for this year indicate that Lewisham has once again seen an increase in cases.
A record 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents were handled by municipalities throughout England last year, a 6% rise over the year before.
A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said:
“We are committed to tackling fly-tipping in Lewisham, which can cause serious environmental and public health risks, with many dumped items containing harmful chemicals that could affect residents and wildlife.
Illegally dumped rubbish also makes our streets look untidy and costs the council money, which could be put back into delivering essential services.
Over the past year, our Environmental Enforcement Team has worked closely with the community to encourage reporting of fly-tipping through our Love Clean Streets app.”
He added that to strengthen our enforcement efforts, they currently have six re-deployable CCTV cameras installed at known fly-tipping hotspots across the borough, including Fordel Road (SE6), Leyland Road (SE12), Turnham Road (SE4), Whitefoot Lane (SE8) and Clarendon Rise (SE13).
From April, they will be doubling this to 12 cameras, with additional units being installed at other key locations.
This approach will help us identify and take action against offenders more effectively, acting as both a deterrent and an enforcement tool.
These measures reflect our ongoing commitment to tackling fly-tipping and improving public spaces.
What measures are being taken to reduce fly-tipping in Lewisham?
A zero-tolerance policy against fly-tipping has been implemented by Lewisham Council, with a focus on tough enforcement and sanctions for violators.
CCTV is being used by the authorities to keep an eye on recognized hotspots and collect proof against fly-tippers. This technology facilitates prosecutions and aids in the identification of offenders.
Fly-tipping instances are urged to be reported by locals via Cleaner Lewisham and similar platforms. This involvement supports community-led projects and aids in identifying areas that require attention.
In order to give locals convenient and lawful means to get rid of large amounts of rubbish, there are plans to install community skips or tips, which could lessen the motivation for fly-tipping.
Fly-tipping carries legal repercussions enforced by Lewisham Council, which may include fines and jail time. Additionally, the council strives to make sure private property owners remove fly-tipped waste from their properties.