
Bradford Council is sending a strong message that fly-tipping and littering from vehicles is likely to be caught on camera and action will be taken, including issuing fixed penalty fines of up to £400.
A report going to the council’s Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, 18 March details fly-tipping rates for the district, numbers of fly tipping fines issued and tough action on people throwing litter from vehicles.
The overall tonnage of street litter and fly-tipping cleared is expected to have reduced from 4,803 tonnes in 2023/24 to 4,000 tonnes in 2024/25. This is despite the closure of three Household Waste Recycling Centres in April 2024. The number of incidents reported has gone from 10,193 in 2023/24 to 10,624 up to March 2025. However, the reporting figure includes duplicate reports which cannot currently be removed from the system.
There are currently 160 CCTV cameras across the district, set up to catch fly-tippers, and with £87,000 from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a further ten CCTV cameras will be installed at hotspot locations. Current technology has seen a significant increase in fixed penalty fines being issued.
As well as clamping down on fly-tipping, Bradford Council is the only council in the whole of Yorkshire to enforce litter from vehicles offences and was shortlisted in the Keep Britain Tidy Awards under the Excellence in Enforcement category for this work. So far 39 cameras have been installed to catch littering motorists and a total of 4,478 fines issued.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and can result in an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison. The council can prosecute or issue fixed penalty fines, currently set at £400.
The council’s Environmental Enforcement Team, working in partnership with the Police’s Operation Steerside Team, can also seize vehicles involved in fly-tipping offences which helps to disrupt waste crime.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places, said:
“We are working hard to maintain a clean and attractive environment, especially when a global spotlight is on our District in our City of Culture Year but also beyond this, so that we can all take pride in it.
“But we need everyone’s help in reporting incidents of littering and fly-tipping. If you see something, whether it’s fly-tipping, someone throwing litter from a vehicle or general littering, please report it. Action will be taken. Anyone thinking of fly-tipping is warned they will be fined or prosecuted. Using one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres is free if you live in our District.”