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As lockdown forced many councils to close community household waste recycling centres, incidents of fly-tipping have seen a massive spike in numbers. Just one example, in Wigan, Greater Manchester, a 51% increase in fly-tipping was recorded during the lockdown.In 2019 there were more than a million reports of fly-tipping across the UK, costing UK tax-payers an estimated £60 million

Fly-tipping reports have soared since the start of lockdown – and continue to rise despite tips being re-opened. ClearWaste, an app that sends independent reports of tipping to local councils, has seen a 74% increase in activity. Martin Montague, ClearWaste founder, said he’s monitored more than 3,000 cases of fly-tipping in the last month.

Wheat farmer Andrew Ward was heartbroken to find at the very least three lorryloads of industrial waste abandoned on a road that he uses to get to his fields in Leadenham, Lincolnshire. And devastated to look for a heap of rubbish including a dragon, child’s bike and the roof of an outdoor shed blocking access to a neighbour’s field less than half a mile away.

As the UK lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic continues and looks set to continue for some time, councils across the country are struggling to accommodate dramatic increases in household waste. Staying at home has become the new normal with the Government issuing very clear guidance but the change in our social habits is having a dramatic effect on our households and on the household waste we generate.

Fly-tipping has increased 300 percent in some areas during lockdown Since entering lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the United Kingdom has seen a litany of problems pop up as a result. With many utilities currently not operating, many services that have previously been taken for granted are not available.

The Countryside Alliance has reported that the increase is related to a rise in households carrying out DIY jobs since the government announced lockdown measures. The same lockdown measures have forced councils and local authorities to close 90% of the country's recycling and refuse centres. Subsequently, there has been an increase in the number of household items being dumped and fly-tipped illegally.

The crime took place in the dead of night, as so many do. Sneaking through the thin strip of forest between two residential neighbourhoods, the culprit slipped through the fence and then reached back to grab the rubbish bin he hauled toward the wood under the cover of dark. And then it was done – with a flourish he dumped it and give it a little kick to spread it about the forest floor. Cans, papers, little bags of dog waste.

There were over a million incidents of fly tipping last year in England alone. It’s an unsightly, and expensive, problem - costing nearly £60m of taxpayers' money to clean up in 2019. Now with the country in lockdown, and many Local Authority tips forced to close, fly tipping has spiked.In Wigan, the Council has just reopened their recycling centres, after seeing a 51% increase in fly tipping during lockdown.

Fly-tipping is “spiralling out of control” and local councils need to reopen recycling centres and household waste centres as a matter of urgency, according to farm and countryside groups. Quoting figures from waste dumping reporting app ClearWaste, the Countryside Alliance says overall fly-tipping is up 76% in the UK, while 90% of recycling and refuse centres remain closed.

Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, the First Minister was asked if it was time to re-open recycling centres amid growing environmental and public health concerns about illegal dumping of waste. The UK government’s Environment Secretary George Eustice yesterday confirmed that taking rubbish to official dumps was “essential travel” – along with shopping, exercise and medical need.

Across the country, local authorities have faced a huge clean-up bill as fly-tipping has skyrocketed by 300 percent in some areas. The Countryside Alliance says it has seen a huge increase as people undertake home improvements duing the lockdown, while many local authorities have had to close their recycling centres to concerntrate on bin collections.

A local council is seen spending £150,000 removing three football pitches worth of waste left by fly-tippers in a North London suburb, on tonight’s ITV documentary ‘Fly Tipping: Britain’s Lockdown Problem’. This week the government told councils to prepare to reopen tips after seeing an increase in fly-tipping since the lockdown, a problem highlighted after an eco-conscious man created new app ‘ClearWaste’.