Fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area: incidents, enforcement and fines
4,966 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), according to the council's return to Defra: 12.1 for every 1,000 residents. That is lower than the rate across the councils in England that also count all incidents (21.1) and higher than the rate for those in the South West (9.8). The council took 71 enforcement actions, including 71 fixed penalty notices and no prosecutions.
Table of Contents
- Fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole at a glance, 2024/25
- Where fly-tipping happened in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- What was fly-tipped in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- How big the fly-tips were in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Fly-tipping enforcement and fines in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole since 2019/20
- Fly-tipping in South West councils, 2024/25
- Related pages
- Questions about fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- About these figures
Among the 267 councils in England that count all incidents, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole had the 126th highest rate of fly-tipping per resident in 2024/25. Of the 24 ranked councils in the South West, it had the 5th highest rate. The count was up 78% on 2023/24 (2,792), against a rise of 9% in Defra's England total.
| Measure | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | South West (councils counting all incidents) | England (councils counting all incidents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents | 4,966 | 51,229 | 1,077,530 |
| Incidents per 1,000 residents | 12.1 | 9.8 | 21.1 |
| Share on highways | 100% | 54% | 33% |
| Tipper lorry loads or larger | 0 | 841 | 38,558 |
| Enforcement actions per 100 incidents | 1.4 | 22.9 | 42.1 |
| Fixed penalty notices per 100 incidents | 1.4 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| Prosecutions | 0 | 50 | 1,089 |
The region and England columns add up the 25 councils in the South West and the 269 councils in England that count all incidents.
Highways accounted for the most incidents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 4,949, or 100% (England 33%).
| Land type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | 4,949 | 99.7% | 33.4% |
| Other or not identified | 17 | 0.3% | 16.2% |
| Agricultural land | 0 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Back alleyway | 0 | 0.0% | 9.0% |
| Commercial or industrial land | 0 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Council land | 0 | 0.0% | 18.4% |
| Footpath or bridleway | 0 | 0.0% | 20.7% |
| Private or residential land | 0 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Railway | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Watercourse or bank | 0 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
The most common kind of waste was other household waste, in 4,122 incidents (83%; England 44%). Relative to England, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole had a larger share of other electrical items (3.0% against 1.7%).
| Waste type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other household waste | 4,122 | 83.0% | 43.6% |
| White goods | 347 | 7.0% | 4.7% |
| Construction, demolition and excavation waste | 199 | 4.0% | 5.5% |
| Other electrical items | 149 | 3.0% | 1.7% |
| Other commercial waste | 99 | 2.0% | 2.9% |
| Green waste | 50 | 1.0% | 2.9% |
65% were a car boot load or less (England 53%). 35% were van loads (England 43%). None was recorded as a tipper lorry load or larger (England 3.7%).
| Size | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single black bag | 0 | 0.0% | 9.2% |
| Single item | 2,036 | 41.0% | 16.3% |
| Car boot load or less | 1,192 | 24.0% | 27.3% |
| Small van load | 943 | 19.0% | 30.8% |
| Transit van load | 795 | 16.0% | 12.7% |
| Tipper lorry load | 0 | 0.0% | 2.4% |
| Significant or multiple loads | 0 | 0.0% | 1.3% |
The council took 71 enforcement actions against fly-tipping in 2024/25, 1.4 for every 100 incidents (England 42.1, the South West 22.9). It issued 71 fixed penalty notices (100.0% of its actions; England 8.4%): 63 for fly-tipping itself, 2 to householders who passed waste to an unlicensed carrier (household duty of care) and 6 for littering alongside fly-tipping. The council told Defra that its fixed penalty for fly-tipping is £600, reduced to £300 for early payment.
No prosecutions were recorded. Among the 254 councils ranked on enforcement, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole had the 7th lowest rate of actions per 100 incidents and the joint highest (level with 9 other councils, listed on the England page) share of fixed penalty notices.
| Action | Number | Per 100 incidents | England per 100 incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigations | 0 | 0.0 | 28.8 |
| Warning letters | 0 | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| Statutory notices | 0 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Fixed penalty notices | 71 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Duty of care inspections | 0 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Stop and search | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Vehicles seized | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Formal cautions | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Prosecutions | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
The chart shows fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in each year from 2019/20 to 2024/25, with Defra's England total. The rate was below the England total's in every one of those 6 years. It starts in 2019/20, the first year for which Defra records how each council counts incidents.
| Year | Incidents | Per 1,000 residents | England per 1,000 (Defra total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 4,966 | 12.1 | 21.5 |
| 2023/24 | 2,792 | 6.9 | 19.9 |
| 2022/23 | 2,840 | 7.1 | 19.0 |
| 2021/22 | 1,971 | 4.9 | 19.3 |
| 2020/21 | 2,791 | 7.0 | 20.1 |
| 2019/20 | 1,705 | 4.3 | 17.4 |
Of the 24 councils in the South West ranked for 2024/25, Bristol had the highest rate (20.8 per 1,000) and East Devon the lowest (2.5). Exeter, Isles of Scilly and Wiltshire are listed but not ranked: ranks cover only councils that count all incidents, with 100 or more in the year.
| Council | Incidents | Per 1,000 | Actions per 100 incidents | Rank in region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 10,266 | 20.8 | 21.9 | 1st of 24 |
| Plymouth | 5,370 | 19.7 | 25.2 | 2nd of 24 |
| Swindon | 3,759 | 15.4 | 17.5 | 3rd of 24 |
| Forest of Dean | 1,305 | 14.5 | 5.1 | 4th of 24 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 4,966 | 12.1 | 1.4 | 5th of 24 |
| Torbay | 1,556 | 11.1 | 3.7 | 6th of 24 |
| Gloucester | 1,531 | 11.0 | 54.9 | 7th of 24 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 2,057 | 10.3 | 12.9 | 8th of 24 |
| Cotswold | 922 | 10.1 | 9.0 | 9th of 24 |
| North Somerset | 2,226 | 9.9 | 3.2 | 10th of 24 |
| Cheltenham | 1,205 | 9.9 | – | 11th of 24 |
| Stroud | 1,232 | 9.8 | 19.4 | 12th of 24 |
| Teignbridge | 1,051 | 7.6 | 40.6 | 13th of 24 |
| South Hams | 662 | 7.2 | 83.8 | 14th of 24 |
| South Gloucestershire | 2,189 | 7.1 | 27.0 | 15th of 24 |
| Tewkesbury | 695 | 6.8 | 12.9 | 16th of 24 |
| Cornwall | 3,931 | 6.7 | 37.0 | 17th of 24 |
| West Devon | 339 | 5.8 | 78.5 | 18th of 24 |
| Mid Devon | 488 | 5.7 | 13.7 | 19th of 24 |
| North Devon | 574 | 5.7 | 71.3 | 20th of 24 |
| Somerset | 2,830 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 21st of 24 |
| Torridge | 270 | 3.9 | 50.7 | 22nd of 24 |
| Dorset | 1,410 | 3.6 | 82.0 | 23rd of 24 |
| East Devon | 395 | 2.5 | 87.3 | 24th of 24 |
| Exeter | 1,115 | 8.1 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Isles of Scilly | 0 | 0.0 | – | Not ranked: too few incidents |
| Wiltshire | 3,005 | 5.7 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
- Fly-tipping in England: every council compared
- Crime statistics for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (police recorded crime, from data.police.uk)
How many fly-tipping incidents were there in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in 2024/25?
4,966 incidents were recorded in 2024/25, 12.1 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents. In 2023/24 the figure was 2,792.
What is the fine for fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council told Defra that its fixed penalty for fly-tipping is £600 (£300 if paid early). In 2024/25 it issued 71 fixed penalty notices (63 for fly-tipping itself).
Where does fly-tipping happen in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
In 2024/25 fly-tipping was most often recorded on highways (4,949, 100%).
What gets fly-tipped in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
Other household waste (4,122), white goods (347) and construction, demolition and excavation waste (199) were the most common kinds of waste in 2024/25.
Is fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole going up?
The count rose from 2,792 in 2023/24 to 4,966 in 2024/25. Recording practice varies between councils and over time, so part of a change can come from how incidents are counted.
How do I report fly-tipping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
Report it to the council for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, which clears fly-tipping on public land and investigates it. Large-scale or hazardous dumping can also be reported to the Environment Agency.
Source: Defra, fly-tipping statistics for England, local authority table (published 25 February 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. What is counted, and how councils differ: fly-tipping in England.