The worst places for fly-tipping in Hampshire have been revealed in new data from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Figures showed the number of incidents for the period of 2022/2023 and compared it to the prior period of 2021/2022.

Overall there was a slight increase with there being 21,873 incidents of fly-tipping in Hampshire in 2022/2023 compared to 21,691 in 2021/2022.

Places such as Winchester, Fareham and Eastleigh saw significant decreases but most went up.

Hampshire Chronicle: Fly-tipping saw an increase compared to the prior year in most Hampshire locationsFly-tipping saw an increase compared to the prior year in most Hampshire locations (Image: Matt Davey)

Worst places for fly-tipping in Hampshire revealed

The worst places for fly-tipping in Hampshire were broken down as follows:

  1. Southampton - 9,486 incidents (down 5.1%)
  2. Basingstoke and Deane - 2,525 incidents (up 16.4%)
  3. Test Valley - 1,457 incidents (up 38.6%)
  4. East Hampshire - 1,415 incidents (up 41.5%)
  5. Hart - 1,248 incidents (up 20.7%)
  6. Havant - 1,185 incidents (up 3.3%)
  7. Winchester - 1,038 incidents (down 40.1%)
  8. New Forest - 952 incidents (up 6.8%)
  9. Portsmouth - 751 incidents (up 43%)
  10. Eastleigh - 665 incidents (down 19.5%)
  11. Gosport - 478 incidents (up 20.1%)
  12. Rushmoor - 432 incidents  (down 22.7%)
  13. Fareham - 241 incidents (down 33.1%)

This data was broken down by the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) who represent 27,000 rural businesses across England and Wales.

They add that the figures only account for waste illegally dumped on public land that has been reported to the authorities, so there could be more occurrences that have not made it into the record.

CLA regional director Tim Bamford said: “These fly-tipping figures barely scratch the surface of a crime that’s blighting rural communities, with incidents on private land going unrecorded on a mass scale.

"Farmers and landowners bear the cost of removing rubbish and they pay on average £1,000 to remove waste. This is not a victimless crime - in some cases they have paid up to £100,000 to clear up other people’s mess or risk facing prosecution themselves.

“It’s not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous – even including asbestos and chemicals – endangering farmers, wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment.

“While courts can sentence offenders to prison or unlimited fines, prosecutions are rare and criminals clearly do not fear the system. We are calling for local authorities to help clear fly-tipping incidents on private as well as public land, while the various enforcement agencies must be properly trained and resourced.

“Without more progress farmers, not the criminals, will continue to pay the price.”