Council chiefs in Stoke-on-Trent will launch a new crackdown on fly-tipping after securing £46,000 in government funding.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is among 26 authorities in England which will share a pot of almost £1 million aimed at supporting efforts to tackle the illegal dumping of waste.

The city council plans to spend the cash on CCTV cameras at fly-tipping hotspots across the Potteries, along with new signs and a communications campaign. Government figures show that there were 3,265 fly-tipping incidents reported in Stoke-on-Trent in 2022/23, down on 3,800 in the previous year and the lowest number recorded since the figures were first published in 2012/13.

There were over 3,000 fly-tipping incidents reported in 2022/23 (LDRS).

Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability, said: "Stoke-on-Trent City Council has received £46,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' fly-tipping intervention grant scheme 2023-24, to step up the battle against illegal dumping and to better protect communities.

"The funds will be used to help further reduce the illegal dumping of waste across identified hotspots in Stoke-on-Trent which continue to experience high incidents of illegal dumping, via the installation of monitored CCTV cameras, additional local signage and an associated communications campaign. This will support our ongoing education and enforcement campaign and it is hoped that this combined approach will broaden residents' knowledge and change behaviours towards appropriate waste disposal."

The council plans to spend the cash on CCTV cameras at fly-tipping hotspots across the city (Nub News).

Local authorities received grants of up to £50,000 in the latest round of the funding scheme, with £994,547 allocated in total. Thirty-two councils across the country previously received £1.2 million in earlier rounds.

Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said: "Fly-tipping is a brazen attack on communities, nature and our environment. It can create danger for wildlife as well as people and I am determined the harm done by cynical criminals doesn't go unpunished.Our previous funding has achieved significant reductions in fly-tipping across many parts of England – which is why we will build on our successes and ensure councils have more resources to carry on the fight."

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