TOUGHER action is needed to stop waste being illegally dumped in the countryside, after new figures revealed a surge in fly-tipping incidents in Cumbria during the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of cases increased dramatically in all of Cumbria's local authority areas. In Carlisle figures show an increase from 1,030 in 2019/20 to 1,594 in 20/21, and in Eden district numbers rose from 326 to 376.

According to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), a total of 140,220 fly-tipping incidents were recorded across the region in 2020/21, up from 115,192 during the previous 12 months. Incidents on agricultural land increased, year-on-year, from 283 to 671.

The Defra figures confirm reports by many farmers that fly-tipping spiralled out of control during lockdown.

Rural campaigners and legal experts have warned of the escalating problems that fly-tipping is placing on the farming community with grave financial and emotional costs.

“Fly-tipping is an unwelcome blight on our countryside and can represent far more than an inconvenience to victims of the crime,” said Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn, of rural insurance broker Lycetts.

“Incidents not only pose significant environmental and human health risks, but also a legal and financial burden for farmers and landowners.

“Although local authorities will usually pay the clean-up costs of clearing waste from public land, the responsibility for removing waste from private land falls squarely at the feet of the landowners. If they fail to do so, they can face prosecution.”

Clean-up bills per incident average around £1,000, according to the National Rural Crime Network, but large-scale incidents can cost upwards of £10,000. Wailes-Fairbairn, however, explained that farm businesses can insure the risk.

“In some cases, farmers can be repeatedly targeted and costs can quickly escalate,” he said.

“Many combined farm policies, however, will cover the clean-up costs, typically capped between £10,000 and £15,000 for the insurance period.”