Fly-tipping in Middlesbrough council area: incidents, enforcement and fines
2,753 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Middlesbrough in 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), according to the council's return to Defra: 17.6 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 the North East (23.3). The council took 2,832 enforcement actions, including 53 fixed penalty notices and 7 prosecutions.
Table of Contents
- Fly-tipping in Middlesbrough at a glance, 2024/25
- Where fly-tipping happened in Middlesbrough
- What was fly-tipped in Middlesbrough
- How big the fly-tips were in Middlesbrough
- Fly-tipping enforcement and fines in Middlesbrough
- Fly-tipping in Middlesbrough since 2019/20
- Fly-tipping in North East councils, 2024/25
- Related pages
- Questions about fly-tipping in Middlesbrough
- About these figures
Among the 267 councils in England that count all incidents, Middlesbrough had the 85th highest rate of fly-tipping per resident in 2024/25. Of the 11 ranked councils in the North East, it had the 4th lowest rate. The count was up 7% on 2023/24 (2,561), against a rise of 9% in Defra's England total.
| Measure | Middlesbrough | North East (councils counting all incidents) | England (councils counting all incidents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents | 2,753 | 62,000 | 1,077,530 |
| Incidents per 1,000 residents | 17.6 | 23.3 | 21.1 |
| Share on highways | 7% | 6% | 33% |
| Tipper lorry loads or larger | 220 | 3,389 | 38,558 |
| Enforcement actions per 100 incidents | 102.9 | 33.5 | 42.1 |
| Fixed penalty notices per 100 incidents | 1.9 | 1.1 | 3.5 |
| Prosecutions | 7 | 174 | 1,089 |
The region and England columns add up the 11 councils in the North East and the 269 councils in England that count all incidents.
Council land accounted for the most incidents in Middlesbrough (1,280, 46%). 7% of incidents were on highways, against 33% across England. Compared with England, a larger share was on back alleyways (36.9% against 9.0%).
| Land type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council land | 1,280 | 46.5% | 18.4% |
| Back alleyway | 1,016 | 36.9% | 9.0% |
| Footpath or bridleway | 214 | 7.8% | 20.7% |
| Highway | 206 | 7.5% | 33.4% |
| Agricultural land | 16 | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Commercial or industrial land | 9 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Other or not identified | 5 | 0.2% | 16.2% |
| Private or residential land | 5 | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| Railway | 1 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Watercourse or bank | 1 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
The most common kind of waste was other household waste, in 1,751 incidents (64%; England 44%). Relative to England, Middlesbrough had a larger share of green waste (5.3% against 2.9%) and other electrical items (2.8% against 1.7%). Hazardous waste: 1 incident involved asbestos, 2 incidents involved clinical waste and 4 incidents involved chemical drums, oil and fuel. Tyres were dumped in 25 incidents.
| Waste type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other household waste | 1,751 | 63.6% | 43.6% |
| Black bags (household) | 242 | 8.8% | 17.2% |
| Construction, demolition and excavation waste | 190 | 6.9% | 5.5% |
| Green waste | 145 | 5.3% | 2.9% |
| White goods | 142 | 5.2% | 4.7% |
| Other or not identified | 90 | 3.3% | 15.9% |
| Other electrical items | 76 | 2.8% | 1.7% |
| Black bags (commercial) | 32 | 1.2% | 2.4% |
| Other commercial waste | 31 | 1.1% | 2.9% |
| Tyres | 25 | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Vehicle parts | 21 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Chemical drums, oil and fuel | 4 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Clinical waste | 2 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Animal carcasses | 1 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Asbestos | 1 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
24% were a car boot load or less (England 53%). 68% were van loads (England 43%). 220 incidents were the size of a tipper lorry load or larger (8.0%; England 3.7%): 103 tipper lorry loads and 117 significant or multiple loads.
| Size | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single black bag | 27 | 1.0% | 9.2% |
| Single item | 270 | 9.8% | 16.3% |
| Car boot load or less | 368 | 13.4% | 27.3% |
| Small van load | 1,286 | 46.7% | 30.8% |
| Transit van load | 582 | 21.1% | 12.7% |
| Tipper lorry load | 103 | 3.7% | 2.4% |
| Significant or multiple loads | 117 | 4.2% | 1.3% |
The council took 2,832 enforcement actions against fly-tipping in 2024/25, 102.9 for every 100 incidents (England 42.1, the North East 33.5). The most common action was investigations (2,733, 97% of all actions; England 68%). It issued 53 fixed penalty notices (1.9% of its actions; England 8.4%): 19 for fly-tipping itself, 11 for littering alongside fly-tipping and 23 of other kinds.
8 fixed penalty notices were recorded as paid in the year. The council told Defra that its fixed penalty for fly-tipping is £1,000, reduced to £600 for early payment. There were 7 prosecutions, and courts issued 7 fines totalling £4,488. Among the 254 councils ranked on enforcement, Middlesbrough had the 45th highest rate of actions per 100 incidents and the 76th lowest share of fixed penalty notices.
| Action | Number | Per 100 incidents | England per 100 incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigations | 2,733 | 99.3 | 28.8 |
| Warning letters | 14 | 0.5 | 5.5 |
| Statutory notices | 0 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Fixed penalty notices | 53 | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Duty of care inspections | 24 | 0.9 | 2.5 |
| Stop and search | 1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Vehicles seized | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Formal cautions | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Prosecutions | 7 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
The chart shows fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 residents in Middlesbrough in each year from 2019/20 to 2024/25, with Defra's England total. The rate was above the England total's in 1 of those 6 years and below it in 5. 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 | 2,753 | 17.6 | 21.5 |
| 2023/24 | 2,561 | 16.7 | 19.9 |
| 2022/23 | 2,553 | 17.2 | 19.0 |
| 2021/22 | 3,187 | 22.1 | 19.3 |
| 2020/21 | 2,588 | 18.3 | 20.1 |
| 2019/20 | 2,113 | 15.0 | 17.4 |
Of the 11 councils in the North East ranked for 2024/25, Newcastle upon Tyne had the highest rate (52.2 per 1,000) and County Durham the lowest (9.8). Hartlepool is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 16,731 | 52.2 | 19.3 | 1st of 11 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 5,317 | 38.2 | 2.2 | 2nd of 11 |
| Darlington | 3,846 | 34.2 | 11.5 | 3rd of 11 |
| Sunderland | 9,481 | 32.9 | 46.5 | 4th of 11 |
| Gateshead | 5,232 | 25.8 | 11.2 | 5th of 11 |
| South Tyneside | 3,443 | 22.7 | 38.0 | 6th of 11 |
| North Tyneside | 3,882 | 18.1 | 1.4 | 7th of 11 |
| Middlesbrough | 2,753 | 17.6 | 102.9 | 8th of 11 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 2,432 | 11.8 | 42.7 | 9th of 11 |
| Northumberland | 3,623 | 10.9 | 25.5 | 10th of 11 |
| County Durham | 5,260 | 9.8 | 110.4 | 11th of 11 |
| Hartlepool | 3,182 | 32.4 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
- Fly-tipping in England: every council compared
- Crime statistics for Middlesbrough (police recorded crime, from data.police.uk)
How many fly-tipping incidents were there in Middlesbrough in 2024/25?
2,753 incidents were recorded in 2024/25, 17.6 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents. In 2023/24 the figure was 2,561.
What is the fine for fly-tipping in Middlesbrough?
Middlesbrough council told Defra that its fixed penalty for fly-tipping is £1,000 (£600 if paid early). In 2024/25 it issued 53 fixed penalty notices (19 for fly-tipping itself), and courts issued 7 fines totalling £4,488 after prosecutions.
Where does fly-tipping happen in Middlesbrough?
In 2024/25 fly-tipping was most often recorded on council land (1,280, 46%), back alleyways (1,016, 37%) and footpaths and bridleways (214, 8%).
What gets fly-tipped in Middlesbrough?
Other household waste (1,751), black bags (household) (242) and construction, demolition and excavation waste (190) were the most common kinds of waste in 2024/25.
Is fly-tipping in Middlesbrough going up?
The count rose from 2,561 in 2023/24 to 2,753 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 Middlesbrough?
Report it to the council for Middlesbrough, 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.