Fly-tipping in Kingston upon Thames council area: incidents, enforcement and fines
2,390 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Kingston upon Thames in 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), according to the council's return to Defra: 13.8 for every 1,000 residents. That is lower than the rate across the councils in England that also count all incidents (21.1) and lower than the rate for those in London (56.9). The council took 1,374 enforcement actions, including 12 fixed penalty notices and no prosecutions.
Table of Contents
- Fly-tipping in Kingston upon Thames at a glance, 2024/25
- Where fly-tipping happened in Kingston upon Thames
- What was fly-tipped in Kingston upon Thames
- How big the fly-tips were in Kingston upon Thames
- Fly-tipping enforcement and fines in Kingston upon Thames
- Fly-tipping in Kingston upon Thames since 2021/22
- Fly-tipping in London councils, 2024/25
- Related pages
- Questions about fly-tipping in Kingston upon Thames
- About these figures
Among the 267 councils in England that count all incidents, Kingston upon Thames had the 116th highest rate of fly-tipping per resident in 2024/25. Of the 25 ranked councils in London, it had the lowest rate. The count was down 19% on 2023/24 (2,935), against a rise of 9% in Defra's England total.
| Measure | Kingston upon Thames | London (councils counting all incidents) | England (councils counting all incidents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents | 2,390 | 371,409 | 1,077,530 |
| Incidents per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 56.9 | 21.1 |
| Share on highways | 88% | 29% | 33% |
| Tipper lorry loads or larger | 204 | 10,999 | 38,558 |
| Enforcement actions per 100 incidents | 57.5 | 38.7 | 42.1 |
| Fixed penalty notices per 100 incidents | 0.5 | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| Prosecutions | 0 | 21 | 1,089 |
The region and England columns add up the 25 councils in London and the 269 councils in England that count all incidents.
Highways accounted for the most incidents in Kingston upon Thames: 2,110, or 88% (England 33%). 139 were on private or residential land (5.8%; England 1.1%). Compared with England, a larger share was on agricultural land (1.6% against 0.3%).
| Land type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highway | 2,110 | 88.3% | 33.4% |
| Private or residential land | 139 | 5.8% | 1.1% |
| Council land | 103 | 4.3% | 18.4% |
| Agricultural land | 38 | 1.6% | 0.3% |
| Back alleyway | 0 | 0.0% | 9.0% |
| Commercial or industrial land | 0 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Footpath or bridleway | 0 | 0.0% | 20.7% |
| Other or not identified | 0 | 0.0% | 16.2% |
| 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 648 incidents (27%; England 44%). Relative to England, Kingston upon Thames had a larger share of other electrical items (5.4% against 1.7%). Hazardous waste: 1 incident involved clinical waste. The waste type was not identified for 36% of incidents.
| Waste type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other or not identified | 861 | 36.0% | 15.9% |
| Other household waste | 648 | 27.1% | 43.6% |
| Black bags (household) | 384 | 16.1% | 17.2% |
| Construction, demolition and excavation waste | 170 | 7.1% | 5.5% |
| Other electrical items | 129 | 5.4% | 1.7% |
| Other commercial waste | 99 | 4.1% | 2.9% |
| Green waste | 92 | 3.8% | 2.9% |
| Black bags (commercial) | 5 | 0.2% | 2.4% |
| Clinical waste | 1 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| White goods | 1 | 0.0% | 4.7% |
54% were a car boot load or less (England 53%). 37% were van loads (England 43%). 204 incidents were the size of a tipper lorry load or larger (8.5%; England 3.7%): 186 tipper lorry loads and 18 significant or multiple loads.
| Size | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single black bag | 618 | 25.9% | 9.2% |
| Single item | 117 | 4.9% | 16.3% |
| Car boot load or less | 561 | 23.5% | 27.3% |
| Small van load | 880 | 36.8% | 30.8% |
| Transit van load | 9 | 0.4% | 12.7% |
| Tipper lorry load | 186 | 7.8% | 2.4% |
| Significant or multiple loads | 18 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
The council took 1,374 enforcement actions against fly-tipping in 2024/25, 57.5 for every 100 incidents (England 42.1, London 38.7). The most common action was investigations (1,193, 87% of all actions; England 68%). It issued 12 fixed penalty notices (0.9% of its actions; England 8.4%): 11 for fly-tipping itself and 1 of other kinds.
No prosecutions were recorded. Among the 254 councils ranked on enforcement, Kingston upon Thames had the 100th highest rate of actions per 100 incidents and the 48th lowest share of fixed penalty notices.
| Action | Number | Per 100 incidents | England per 100 incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigations | 1,193 | 49.9 | 28.8 |
| Warning letters | 48 | 2.0 | 5.5 |
| Statutory notices | 0 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Fixed penalty notices | 12 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| Duty of care inspections | 115 | 4.8 | 2.5 |
| Stop and search | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Vehicles seized | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Formal cautions | 6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Prosecutions | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
The chart shows fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents in Kingston upon Thames in each year from 2021/22 to 2024/25, with Defra's England total. The rate was above the England total's in 2 of those 4 years and below it in 2. The series starts in 2021/22 because the count went from 2,205 in 2020/21 to 4,363 in 2021/22 while England's changed by −4%; a step that large (more than double or less than half England's change) is treated here as a change in how the council records fly-tipping, so earlier years are not compared.
| Year | Incidents | Per 1,000 residents | England per 1,000 (Defra total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 2,390 | 13.8 | 21.5 |
| 2023/24 | 2,935 | 17.2 | 19.9 |
| 2022/23 | 3,721 | 22.1 | 19.0 |
| 2021/22 | 4,363 | 26.0 | 19.3 |
Of the 25 councils in London ranked for 2024/25, Camden had the highest rate (166.9 per 1,000) and Kingston upon Thames the lowest (13.8). Ealing, Enfield, Islington, Lambeth, Newham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | 36,216 | 166.9 | 104.7 | 1st of 25 |
| Croydon | 53,268 | 130.1 | 0.3 | 2nd of 25 |
| Hackney | 31,042 | 116.4 | 8.2 | 3rd of 25 |
| Lewisham | 33,471 | 111.1 | 9.5 | 4th of 25 |
| City of London | 1,655 | 109.5 | 197.7 | 5th of 25 |
| Westminster | 20,047 | 95.5 | 39.7 | 6th of 25 |
| Hounslow | 25,177 | 84.1 | 1.5 | 7th of 25 |
| Merton | 14,883 | 68.1 | 63.8 | 8th of 25 |
| Haringey | 16,915 | 64.1 | 14.1 | 9th of 25 |
| Southwark | 18,530 | 58.9 | 23.0 | 10th of 25 |
| Greenwich | 16,638 | 55.5 | 10.0 | 11th of 25 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 7,613 | 52.7 | 129.6 | 12th of 25 |
| Harrow | 13,925 | 51.4 | 19.8 | 13th of 25 |
| Brent | 16,338 | 46.3 | 138.2 | 14th of 25 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 8,087 | 42.9 | 109.8 | 15th of 25 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 7,617 | 32.7 | 2.1 | 16th of 25 |
| Hillingdon | 9,846 | 29.9 | 2.4 | 17th of 25 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 5,611 | 28.5 | 35.5 | 18th of 25 |
| Bromley | 6,981 | 20.8 | 5.1 | 19th of 25 |
| Tower Hamlets | 6,029 | 18.2 | 225.5 | 20th of 25 |
| Sutton | 3,873 | 18.1 | 11.9 | 21st of 25 |
| Barnet | 6,938 | 17.1 | 12.8 | 22nd of 25 |
| Havering | 4,532 | 16.4 | 149.2 | 23rd of 25 |
| Bexley | 3,787 | 14.8 | 16.6 | 24th of 25 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 2,390 | 13.8 | 57.5 | 25th of 25 |
| Ealing | 25,394 | 65.8 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Enfield | 9,218 | 28.2 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Islington | 3,330 | 14.9 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only; count 1,347 in 2023/24 |
| Lambeth | 21,220 | 67.0 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Newham | 26,502 | 70.8 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Redbridge | 8,189 | 25.5 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Waltham Forest | 10,246 | 36.6 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Wandsworth | 5,580 | 16.5 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
- Fly-tipping in England: every council compared
- Crime statistics for Kingston upon Thames (police recorded crime, from data.police.uk)
How many fly-tipping incidents were there in Kingston upon Thames in 2024/25?
2,390 incidents were recorded in 2024/25, 13.8 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents. In 2023/24 the figure was 2,935.
What is the fine for fly-tipping in Kingston upon Thames?
Kingston upon Thames council did not report its fixed penalty amount to Defra for 2024/25; councils set it between £150 and £1,000. In 2024/25 it issued 12 fixed penalty notices (11 for fly-tipping itself).
Where does fly-tipping happen in Kingston upon Thames?
In 2024/25 fly-tipping was most often recorded on highways (2,110, 88%), private or residential land (139, 6%) and council land (103, 4%).
What gets fly-tipped in Kingston upon Thames?
Other household waste (648), black bags (household) (384) and construction, demolition and excavation waste (170) were the most common kinds of waste in 2024/25.
Is fly-tipping in Kingston upon Thames going up?
The count fell from 2,935 in 2023/24 to 2,390 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 Kingston upon Thames?
Report it to the council for Kingston upon Thames, 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.