Landowner left with potential £100,000 bill to clean 250 tonnes of rubbish

Fly-tipping is a serious issue that many farmers deal with on a daily basis
Fly-tipping is a serious issue that many farmers deal with on a daily basis

A landowner has been left with a bill potentially running over £100,000 after travellers left more than 250 tonnes of rubbish on a field.

The land, in Bromley, Greater London, had been left with piles of rubbish. The travellers had only been in the area for two weeks.

Bickley Police tweeted a picture which showed the field of rubbish, writing: “The travellers have moved on from the site.

“Sadly they didn’t take their rubbish with them #flytipping.”

The cost of clearing up fly-tipping in England has hit nearly £50 million, with councils having to deal with almost 900,000 incidents every 12 months.

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Fly-tipping is a serious issue that many farmers deal with on a daily basis. It is seen as an inconvenience and costly, often running into thousands of pounds to rid their land of the rubbish dumped.

'Regular reports'

Rural organisation the CLA says it is receiving more and more reports from farmers and landowners with rubbish being dumped on their land almost every day of the week.

CLA President Ross Murray said the organisation receives 'regular reports' from farmers of fly tipping, particularly when land is located on the fringes of urban areas.

He said: “The waste involved is not just the occasional bin bag but large household items from unwanted sofas to broken washing machines, building materials and even hazardous waste.

“The estimated average cost to rural businesses of this anti-social behaviour is £800 per incident and is a continuing and damaging blight on our countryside.”

The NFU has said that the government’s new litter strategy for England is a 'missed opportunity' to fully tackle the scourge of fly tipping as an environmental crime.