FLYTIPPING incidents in Basingstoke rose by more than 100 per cent in 2016/17 year, shock figures have revealed.

According to data gathered by the CLA, in 2016/17, there were 2,147 incidents in Basingstoke reported to the local authority, up 107 per cent on the year before.

In 2015/16, there were 1,036 incidents reported with 1,308 incidents in 2014/15.

The CLA has used figures published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for which the year 2016/17 is the most recent available.

Further, the CLA, the membership organisation for owners of land, property and businesses in rural England and Wales, believes the overall total is considerably higher, as it feels incidents go unrecorded or unreported.

CLA regional director for the south east Robin Edwards said: “"Fly-tipping is not a victimless crime. The government, local authorities and the Environment Agency must work together with farmers and landowners to help reduce fly-tipping on private rural land. It’s a vicious cycle of costly clean-ups by the victims who bear the burden of waste crime and the threat of prosecution.

“It is easy to blame householders for the significant rise in fly-tipping but we’re seeing more and more waste on an industrial scale dumped across the countryside.

"Part of the problem is council fees putting people off lawful disposal at the local tip but it is also businesses not complying with existing waste disposal regulations. The costs and process of getting a waste transfer licence prevents legal disposal and encourages organised crime.

“It is vital that more prosecutions are brought forward successfully to encourage people to do the right thing and dispose of their rubbish through proper legal channels. But to really combat this anti-social behaviour we need to see tougher penalties which act as a true deterrent. Imposing and enforcing penalties which better reflect the seriousness of the crime, such as seizing vehicles used to fly-tip, is crucial.”

Hampshire County Council has recently launched a flytipping crackdown.

Using the hashtag #ResponsibleRubbish, along with an array of social media adverts, the partnership between civic chiefs, environmental groups, and the police wants to make the public aware of how they can stop the growing trend.

Hampshire County Council is also set to trial placing hidden cameras at fly-tipping hotspots across the county, after receiving a £3,000 grant from the Rural Delivery Budget.