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Fly-tippers to be hunted with drones in Government crackdown

A pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Rainham, east London
A pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Rainham, east London (Getty Images)
  • The UK Government is implementing a new crackdown on fly-tipping, with plans to seize and crush vehicles to battle what it calls an “avalanche of rubbish”.
  • Drones and mobile CCTV vans will be deployed to identify culprits, who could face up to five years in prison under new legislation.
  • The Government aims to streamline the process for councils to confiscate and destroy vehicles, while also ensuring fly-tippers bear the crushing costs.
  • The initiative comes as fly-tipping incidents in England exceed 1.1 million annually, with a significant rise since 2018 despite a decrease in prosecutions.
  • Countryside leaders warn that official figures underestimate the problem, as they exclude waste dumped on private land, impacting farmers and rural businesses.
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