BRADFORD tops the table when it comes to residential fly-tipping incidents, figures reveal.

Research has found Bradford reported the largest number - 852 - in 2016/17, followed by Leicester, County Durham, Thanet and Brighton.

The data has been collected by local authorities regarding private, residential land.

According to statistics from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, local authorities dealt with more than one million fly-tipping incidents in 2016/17 - a rise of seven per cent from 2015/16 - at an estimated cost of £57.7 million.

Two thirds involved household waste in 2016/17 - an upsurge of eight per cent on 2015/16.

The most common size category in 2016/17 was equivalent to a ‘small van load’, followed by the equivalent of a ‘car boot’.

Fly-tipping is a crime and a problem Bradford is no stranger to.

If caught, offenders can face a £400 fixed penalty notice or an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison. Vehicles used to commit offences can also be seized and crushed.

Telegraph & Argus reader Debra Parkinson sent a picture of the mess which greeted her when she returned to her West Bowling home after going on holiday.

She says she is at her “wits end” over the mess, which has been left at the back of her house.

And in January last year, the paper reported rats started invading homes after piles of black bin bags filled with food and takeaway packaging were dumped on a regular basis in a backstreet behind Wensleydale Road, Thornbury.

While Council cleansing teams will clear fly-tipped waste when it is on Council-maintained highways, footpaths or adjacent land, they cannot clear fly-tipping that is on private land.

When someone does fly-tip on private land, the landlord or tenant is responsible for removing illegally dumped waste.

And people can face an unlimited fine if their waste ends up fly-tipped and they cannot show they took reasonable steps to prevent it.

Robby du Toit, managing director of Sellhousefast.uk, which has produced the fly-tipping league table, said: “Household rubbish, white goods and garden waste are among the most frequently fly-tipped items.

“It is so important for homeowners to dispose of their unwanted items responsibly. “It’s a shared task and perhaps, more needs to be done to encourage individuals to recycle.

“Services need to expose more clearly where relevant help and information can be found.”

Bradford Council encourages people to report any incidents of fly-tipping on private land, by providing a date and time, location, what and how much was tipped, descriptions of culprits and registration numbers of any vehicles used.

It also advises people to not touch the waste, as it may be evidence the Council can use.

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.