Thousands of pounds are owed to Dundee City Council from fly-tippers who have failed to pay their fines.
Figures obtained by The Courier show 159 people were issued with fines between January 2021 and October 2024 for dumping their rubbish illegally.
Of those fined, just 60 have paid up – with £22,700 still owed to the council from that period.
Meanwhile, only five people were reported to the procurator fiscal for possible prosecution during the same timeframe.
It means that in the 3,700 fly-tipping incidents reported to the Dundee City Council in the last four years, only 4% of offenders have been sanctioned.
Number of fly-tipping fines in Dundee over last 4 years
The data – obtained by Freedom of Information – shows the following incidents over the last four years:
2021
- 894 cases reported
- 11 people fined (3 paid)
- £600 in fines paid, £1,600 unpaid
2022
- 975 cases reported
- 75 fined (30 paid)
- £5,600 in fines paid, £9,000 unpaid
2023
- 903 cases reported
- 47 fined (19 paid, 23 unpaid, 1 cancelled and 4 reported to procurator fiscal)
- £3,800 in fines paid, £4,600 unpaid
2024 (Jan-Oct)
Fines for fly-tipping rose this year from £200 to £500.
- 989 cases reported
- 26 fined (10 paid, 15 unpaid, 1 reported to procurator fiscal)
- £5,000 in fines paid, £7,500 unpaid
Fly-tipping a ‘major problem’ for Dundee
Andrew Llanwarne, co-ordinator of Friends of the Earth Tayside, says the figures show fly-tipping is a blight on Dundee.
He said: “It is clear that fly-tipping continues to be a major problem for Dundee.
“Identifying and taking action against offenders is clearly only dealing with a minority of incidents.
“The public will be very concerned about the impact that fly-tipping continues to have in Dundee and the countryside close to the city.
“It is a blight on the environment, and we would like to see more resources directed towards tackling the problem, but we appreciate the challenge for the local authority in meeting all the competing demands on its limited budget.”
He added: “The fixed penalty for fly tipping in Scotland was increased from £200 to £500 with effect from January 2024, and it is to be hoped that this will provide a stronger deterrent for offenders, provided that there is some likelihood of them being identified and punished.
“The proportion of penalties that are unpaid suggests that enforcement has been weak throughout the period covered by the figures.”
Council insists it has ‘robust procedures’ to tackle Dundee fly-tipping
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “The council has robust procedures in place to deter this selfish and dishonest activity which includes issuing a fixed penalty notice or reporting culprits to the procurator fiscal who has the power to fine up to £40,000.
“Members of the public who witness fly-tipping can report what they’ve seen to us directly in order to help us act against those carrying out this anti-social behaviour.
“As a council, we routinely report persons to the procurator fiscal who have not paid a fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping.”
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