More than 7,300 flytips were logged by Leicester City Council last financial year. But there was huge disparities between which areas of the city had best and worst records on this matter.
The dirtiest ward had hundreds more incidents reported than the next biggest offender and was the only one to top 1,000 reports between April 2023 and the end of March 2024, council documents show. Meanwhile, the cleanest came away with just seven recorded flytips over the same period.
Leicester City Council told LeicestershireLive “densely terraced” areas “can suffer more” from dumped waste, with this accounting for the discrepancies between different areas. This is because they are “more densely populated”, a spokesman said. So which areas are the biggest offenders?
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By far, Westcotes has the worst record for flytipping in the city at 1,209 incidents. The area, which includes Narborough Road, has also held that dubious honour for the three proceeding years, documents show.
Additionally, Westcotes has the worst rate of flytipping when local population figures are considered. There were 76.5 incidents for every 1,000 people in the area last financial year, documents state.
The problem in the area also seems to have worsened since the pandemic. In 2020/21, the number of recorded dumps shot up to 1,506, from 847 the year before. Figures for the area have remained above the 1,000 mark since.
Abandoned fridge and mini fridge, in Hinckley Road, Leicester
(Image: LeicestershireLive)
One Westcotes resident, who wished to stay anonymous, told LeicestershireLive she has seen “all sorts” dumped “all over” the neighbourhood. This has ranged from furniture to a “pile of dirty nappies”.
She said: “There’s a Facebook page called Mattresses of the West End [of Leicester] for good reason. I see them everywhere. A decent-looking one was dumped outside my neighbour’s house, and a chest of drawers was dumped outside ours, and we’re not in the ‘student zone’.
“Winchester Avenue has always had a lot of rentals, and it seems to be particularly bad over there. I’ve seen all sorts dumped all over the neighbourhood, especially furniture, but also a pile of dirty nappies. Goodness knows how they ended up in the street.
“I absolutely believe it’s landlords, not tenants, who are responsible for the dumping in many cases. I’ve been a rental tenant for more than 20 years and have lived in multiple properties in Leicester, and have never felt the need to take my mattress with me when I move out and leave it in the street. I think some landlords are taking the mickey out of the city council.”
LeicestershireLive asked the council why there was such a problem in the ward. In addition to being a “densely terraced area”, which was described as a “contributing factor” to the high numbers, the council spokesman added: “Areas like Westcotes also have significantly more residents in shorter term rented accommodation which can lead to additional issues if households are not aware of how to correctly dispose of their rubbish.”
Flytipped waste dumped by a street bin, in Hinckley Road, Leicester
(Image: LeicestershireLive)
Stoneygate came in second for the number of flytips – 892 – and third for the rate per 1,000 people – 42.3 – last year. However, progress does seem to be being made in the ward to tackle the issue, with this year’s number of incidents dropping below 1,000 for the first time since 2018/19.
Fosse ward had 876 incidents, putting it third for that statistic. However, it had the second highest rate at 61 per 1,000 people.
On the other end of the spectrum, Thurncourt performed the by far the best in both metrics. It had just seven flytips, a rate of 0.6 per 1,000 people. Abbey was the second cleanest area with 32 incidents and a rate of 1.4 per 1,000. Then came Humberstone and Hamilton at 33 and 1.6 respectively.
Flytipping in the city can result in fines and/or prosecutions for those responsible. So far in the current 2024/25 financial year, 502 incidents have resulted in one of those actions being taken. Currently, there is a £400 upper limit on fines, discounted to £280 if paid within a certain time. However, some other Leicestershire authorities are in the process of increasing the amount they charge in these instances, with fees hitting £1,000 in Blaby and Charnwood.
Taking all the Leicester wards figures as one collective sees the city performs relatively well for flytipping when compares to neighbouring authorities. In the 2022/23 financial year, the most recent data given by the council for local authority areas as a whole showed 7,016 incidents were recorded – a rate of 18.8 per 1,000 residents.
A flytipped armchair and other rubbish, in Winchester Avenue, Leicester
(Image: LeicestershireLive)
Meanwhile, Nottingham City Council, for example, had a significantly higher rate and number of tips at – 68.4 per 1,000 and 21,298 respectively – that year. Derby City Council recorded fewer actual incidents at 5,955, but its rate was higher at 22.6.
Leicester City Council’s Culture and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Commission will meet next week to discuss the figures and what is being done to reduce the issue locally. The authority is also calling on residents to do their part.
The spokesman said: “Fly-tipping is an illegal activity that creates an unsightly mess and that detracts from the local environment. The council takes a multi-partnership approach in tackling fly tipping and has powers to pursue those who fly-tip illegally across the city.
“Dense terraced areas of the city can suffer more than others with fly-tipping. However, we aim to identify hotspots and remove fly-tipping quickly with a view to pursuing those responsible wherever possible.
“All waste material should be disposed of properly, either being placed in the appropriate bins or orange bags or taken to the council’s recycling centres at Gypsum Close or Freemen’s Common. For larger items, bulky waste collections are available for people to use.”
Flytipped beds in Hinckley Road, Leicester
(Image: LeicestershireLive)