BRADFORD Council has welcomed calls to give local authorities new powers in the fight against fly-tippers and urged the public to also do its bit.

It comes as new figures show that the cost of clearing up illegally dumped waste in the district has risen sharply in the last three years to £685,497 in 2014/15.

At the same time the number of incidents has hit the 10,000 mark, and the number prosecutions has almost doubled to 31.

The Local Government Association has called for extra powers for councils to be able to issue on-the-spot fines in some fly-tipping cases, such as when pieces of broken furniture, old televisions and mattresses are dumped.

Councillor Arshad Hussain, the authority's portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and community safety, said: “Incidents of fly tipping are on the increase nationally and Bradford is no different.

T&A COMMENT: ACTION NEEDED AS FLY-TIPPING COSTS PILE UP

“On the face of it incidents have increased by greater than the national average but it should be remembered that many incidents of fly tipping are reported by the Council's own Neighbourhood Services staff, so that they can be dealt with and not left.

“In addition the costs quoted are standardised costs from the national database which uses a common formula and applies it to all fly-tips across the country to come up with a cost comparison. The "cost" stated also includes the cost of clearing private land.

“As regards fixed penalty powers for fly tipping, it will be interesting to see what is proposed and as always we welcome the introduction of sensible legislation that makes it easier to deal with the perpetrators of fly tipping.

“However any enforcement action, new or existing, does require evidence of who the perpetrator is so we once again ask any member of the public to support the Council in its drive to deal with these people and provide any evidence they have to the Council so we can take action against them."

Clean-ups cost Bradford Council £401,819 in 2012/13, compared to £577,686 during 2013/14, but it had to foot a bill of £685,497 in 2014/15.

The number of incidents of fly-tipping has also increased across the district over the last three years.

There were 6,335 incidents in 2012/13, 8,867 recorded in 2013/14 and 10,374 in 2014/15.

Meanwhile the number of prosecutions for fly-tipping in the Bradford district has nearly doubled in the last three years. There were 16 prosecutions in 2012/13, 15 in 2013/14 and 31 2014/15.

Peter Box, the Local Government Association's environment spokesman, said local authorities were spending tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money a year on fly-tipping, which could be better spent on services such as protecting vulnerable children and keeping libraries open.

He said councils could only take fly-tippers to court, when a fine would sometimes be the more appropriate response.

"All the figures show that the huge amount of effort local authorities put into preventing and tackling fly-tipping is having a real impact," he said.

"But new powers would ensure councils can go even further in addressing what is often not just an eyesore, but also a serious public health risk, creating pollution and attracting vermin."

A Defra spokesman said: "Fly-tipping blights communities and poses a risk to human health which is why tackling this issue is a priority for Government.

"We want everyone to enjoy a cleaner, healthier country and will build on our recent successes by introducing fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping.

"This will provide local authorities with another way of clamping down on those who illegally dump waste."

Earlier this year Bradford's fly-tipping hotspots were revealed based on the number of complaints of dumped waste made to the Council.

Bowling and Barkerend recorded the most complaints, with a site at Paley Road in West Bowling identified as one of the area’s worst streets for fly-tipping.

Anyone with any information about fly-tippers can call the Council’s environmental enforcement team on 01274 434366, or email eh.admin@bradford.gov.uk.