None of Fife’s 15,000 fly-tipping reports over the last four years resulted in court action against those responsible.
And just 2% of offenders received a fine.
New figures show Fife Council received 14,821 complaints about illegal dumping between 2019 and 2023.
However, no-one was reported to the procurator fiscal and just 284 fixed penalty notices were issued.
Now North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain has called for more to be done to tackle “increasingly brazen” offenders who blight the countryside.
And she also wants to see more help for those left to foot the bill to clear rubbish dumped on their land.
The Liberal Democrat MP says anyone caught illegally tipping should be forced to pay towards the clean-up.
‘Offenders should contribute to clean-up costs’
The Scottish Government doubled the fine payable for fly-tipping to £500 on January 1 in a bid to change behaviour.
And Fife Council’s decision to scrap bulky uplift charges has resulted in a 30% fall in incidents.
However Ms Chamberlain says areas of the kingdom are still blighted.
“Fly-tippers are increasingly brazen,” she said. “It’s unpleasant for all, yet only a tiny fraction of cases have ever resulted in a fine or court trip.
“Alongside a robust fixed penalty system, I want to see the introduction of a new restitution order.”
She said this would enable courts to demand contributions from offenders to clean-up their mess.
What is Fife Council doing to tackle fly-tipping?
Fife Council says all reports of fly-tipping are investigated.
However, communities services manager Dawn Jamieson said evidence is needed before action can be taken against offenders.
And because there are hardly ever any witnesses, evidence is rarely available.
Ms Jamieson added: “Referring a case to the procurator fiscal would be a last resort where other options have been considered not appropriate or as an escalation for repeat offenders.”
The council is taking action to deter offenders, including increased patrols in known hot-spot areas.
It has also invested in CCTV and social media campaigns and supports volunteer litter-pickers.
How to prevent fly-tipping in Fife
The council urged people to use recycling centres to dispose of waste responsibly.
And householders should also check anyone they pay to take rubbish away is properly registered.
Ms Jamieson said “We’re grateful to the people of Fife for reporting fly-tipping and urge them to keep doing so using our online form at www.fife.gov.uk/flytipping.
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