ONLY one fly-tipping prosecution has been recorded across the royal borough since 2020, an investigation has revealed.

Data obtained via a Freedom of Information request to the RBWM Council suggested that the sole recorded prosecution was in 2022.

However, the figures also showed 245 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead from 2020, including a peak of 91 in 2022.

A total of 11 such fines were issued in 2020, followed by 87 in 2021. During 2023 so far, 56 FPNs have been issued.

Defending the council’s record on fly-tipping, a spokesperson said: “As the FOI response shows, the council has issued almost 250 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping since 2020, demonstrating that we are taking action to tackle fly-tipping in the borough.

“In the majority of cases, those caught fly tipping pay the fixed penalty before cases end up going court. If there is a refusal to pay the penalty, court proceedings will be initiated.

“The council has a dedicated enforcement team to tackle environmental crime in order to make the borough a cleaner and safer place to live, work and visit. We always seek to prosecute or fine fly-tippers when there is sufficient evidence to identify an offender.”

The council encourages using contractors to dispose of waste to check they have a waste carriers licence and are discarding the waste at a licensed disposal facility.

Duty of care checks are also carried out at business premises throughout the RBWM to make sure they are using licensed waste contractors.

The spokesperson added: “Those who fly-tip their waste are being irresponsible with little thought for the harm their selfish actions can cause the environment, wildlife and, potentially, the public.

“There are also financial consequences with the cost of clearing dumped waste.”

Anyone who witnesses and environmental crime such as fly-tipping, or has information to identify an offender, is asked to reach out to the council to provide any relevant information.

This might include the location and time of the reported offence, what happened and descriptions of the offenders and any vehicles involved.

Incidents can be reported on the RBWM website here.