Fly-tipping in Sefton council area: incidents, enforcement and fines
4,110 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Sefton in 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), according to the council's return to Defra: 14.4 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 West (18.7). The council took 4,294 enforcement actions, including 152 fixed penalty notices and no prosecutions.
Table of Contents
- Fly-tipping in Sefton at a glance, 2024/25
- Where fly-tipping happened in Sefton
- What was fly-tipped in Sefton
- How big the fly-tips were in Sefton
- Fly-tipping enforcement and fines in Sefton
- Fly-tipping in Sefton since 2019/20
- Fly-tipping in North West councils, 2024/25
- Related pages
- Questions about fly-tipping in Sefton
- About these figures
Among the 267 councils in England that count all incidents, Sefton had the 109th highest rate of fly-tipping per resident in 2024/25. Of the 31 ranked councils in the North West, it had the 16th highest rate. The count was up 13% on 2023/24 (3,630), against a rise of 9% in Defra's England total.
| Measure | Sefton | North West (councils counting all incidents) | England (councils counting all incidents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents | 4,110 | 131,987 | 1,077,530 |
| Incidents per 1,000 residents | 14.4 | 18.7 | 21.1 |
| Share on highways | 6% | 38% | 33% |
| Tipper lorry loads or larger | 465 | 7,054 | 38,558 |
| Enforcement actions per 100 incidents | 104.5 | 64.9 | 42.1 |
| Fixed penalty notices per 100 incidents | 3.7 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
| Prosecutions | 0 | 471 | 1,089 |
The region and England columns add up the 31 councils in the North West and the 269 councils in England that count all incidents.
Footpaths and bridleways accounted for the most incidents in Sefton (2,978, 72%). 6% of incidents were on highways, against 33% across England. 185 were on private or residential land (4.5%; England 1.1%).
Compared with England, a larger share was on commercial or industrial land (1.2% against 0.3%).
| Land type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footpath or bridleway | 2,978 | 72.5% | 20.7% |
| Back alleyway | 391 | 9.5% | 9.0% |
| Highway | 252 | 6.1% | 33.4% |
| Council land | 208 | 5.1% | 18.4% |
| Private or residential land | 185 | 4.5% | 1.1% |
| Commercial or industrial land | 49 | 1.2% | 0.3% |
| Other or not identified | 29 | 0.7% | 16.2% |
| Agricultural land | 12 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Watercourse or bank | 5 | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Railway | 1 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
The most common kind of waste was other household waste, in 2,455 incidents (60%; England 44%). Relative to England, Sefton had a larger share of chemical drums, oil and fuel (1.3% against 0.5%). Hazardous waste: 7 incidents involved asbestos, 3 incidents involved clinical waste and 53 incidents involved chemical drums, oil and fuel.
| Waste type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other household waste | 2,455 | 59.7% | 43.6% |
| Black bags (household) | 582 | 14.2% | 17.2% |
| White goods | 254 | 6.2% | 4.7% |
| Construction, demolition and excavation waste | 226 | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| Other or not identified | 189 | 4.6% | 15.9% |
| Other commercial waste | 145 | 3.5% | 2.9% |
| Green waste | 87 | 2.1% | 2.9% |
| Chemical drums, oil and fuel | 53 | 1.3% | 0.5% |
| Black bags (commercial) | 37 | 0.9% | 2.4% |
| Other electrical items | 32 | 0.8% | 1.7% |
| Vehicle parts | 30 | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| Tyres | 9 | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| Asbestos | 7 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Clinical waste | 3 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Animal carcasses | 1 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
14% were a car boot load or less (England 53%). 74% were van loads (England 43%). 465 incidents were the size of a tipper lorry load or larger (11.3%; England 3.7%): 240 tipper lorry loads and 225 significant or multiple loads.
| Size | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single black bag | 79 | 1.9% | 9.2% |
| Single item | 236 | 5.7% | 16.3% |
| Car boot load or less | 269 | 6.5% | 27.3% |
| Small van load | 1,381 | 33.6% | 30.8% |
| Transit van load | 1,680 | 40.9% | 12.7% |
| Tipper lorry load | 240 | 5.8% | 2.4% |
| Significant or multiple loads | 225 | 5.5% | 1.3% |
The council took 4,294 enforcement actions against fly-tipping in 2024/25, 104.5 for every 100 incidents (England 42.1, the North West 64.9). The most common action was investigations (4,093, 95% of all actions; England 68%). It issued 152 fixed penalty notices (3.5% of its actions; England 8.4%): 32 for fly-tipping itself and 120 of other kinds.
No prosecutions were recorded. Among the 254 councils ranked on enforcement, Sefton had the 43rd highest rate of actions per 100 incidents and the 118th lowest share of fixed penalty notices.
| Action | Number | Per 100 incidents | England per 100 incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigations | 4,093 | 99.6 | 28.8 |
| Warning letters | 1 | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| Statutory notices | 0 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Fixed penalty notices | 152 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Duty of care inspections | 48 | 1.2 | 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 Sefton 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 | 4,110 | 14.4 | 21.5 |
| 2023/24 | 3,630 | 12.8 | 19.9 |
| 2022/23 | 3,903 | 13.9 | 19.0 |
| 2021/22 | 3,960 | 14.2 | 19.3 |
| 2020/21 | 4,046 | 14.7 | 20.1 |
| 2019/20 | 3,837 | 13.9 | 17.4 |
Of the 31 councils in the North West ranked for 2024/25, Pendle had the highest rate (62.0 per 1,000) and Halton the lowest (3.6). Bolton, Burnley and St. Helens 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pendle | 6,186 | 62.0 | 101.4 | 1st of 31 |
| Liverpool | 20,300 | 39.9 | – | 2nd of 31 |
| Blackpool | 5,053 | 35.0 | 71.7 | 3rd of 31 |
| Preston | 5,642 | 34.6 | 4.7 | 4th of 31 |
| Hyndburn | 2,631 | 30.6 | 53.9 | 5th of 31 |
| Salford | 7,610 | 25.9 | 66.9 | 6th of 31 |
| Manchester | 14,963 | 25.4 | 70.9 | 7th of 31 |
| Wirral | 7,977 | 24.3 | 50.9 | 8th of 31 |
| Oldham | 5,959 | 23.7 | 81.2 | 9th of 31 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 3,828 | 23.6 | 128.7 | 10th of 31 |
| Rochdale | 5,302 | 22.5 | 29.6 | 11th of 31 |
| Lancaster | 3,190 | 22.0 | 13.3 | 12th of 31 |
| West Lancashire | 2,122 | 17.4 | 8.8 | 13th of 31 |
| Bury | 3,227 | 16.2 | 24.3 | 14th of 31 |
| Rossendale | 1,100 | 15.1 | 66.5 | 15th of 31 |
| Sefton | 4,110 | 14.4 | 104.5 | 16th of 31 |
| Knowsley | 2,193 | 13.5 | 61.7 | 17th of 31 |
| Tameside | 3,203 | 13.4 | 36.0 | 18th of 31 |
| Stockport | 3,749 | 12.3 | 50.3 | 19th of 31 |
| Cumberland | 3,399 | 12.1 | 84.2 | 20th of 31 |
| Ribble Valley | 752 | 11.4 | 93.2 | 21st of 31 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 4,017 | 10.8 | 41.3 | 22nd of 31 |
| Warrington | 2,216 | 10.3 | 120.6 | 23rd of 31 |
| Trafford | 2,334 | 9.7 | 196.7 | 24th of 31 |
| Wigan | 3,110 | 9.0 | 129.5 | 25th of 31 |
| Cheshire East | 3,784 | 9.0 | 1.1 | 26th of 31 |
| Chorley | 941 | 7.8 | – | 27th of 31 |
| Westmorland and Furness | 1,546 | 6.7 | 35.0 | 28th of 31 |
| Wyre | 615 | 5.2 | 85.2 | 29th of 31 |
| South Ribble | 449 | 3.9 | 20.9 | 30th of 31 |
| Halton | 479 | 3.6 | 131.5 | 31st of 31 |
| Bolton | 7,551 | 24.4 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| Burnley | 4,205 | 42.4 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only |
| St. Helens | 1,366 | 7.2 | – | Not ranked: counts public reports only; count 3,059 in 2023/24 |
- Fly-tipping in England: every council compared
- Crime statistics for Sefton (police recorded crime, from data.police.uk)
How many fly-tipping incidents were there in Sefton in 2024/25?
4,110 incidents were recorded in 2024/25, 14.4 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents. In 2023/24 the figure was 3,630.
What is the fine for fly-tipping in Sefton?
Sefton 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 152 fixed penalty notices (32 for fly-tipping itself).
Where does fly-tipping happen in Sefton?
In 2024/25 fly-tipping was most often recorded on footpaths and bridleways (2,978, 72%), back alleyways (391, 10%) and highways (252, 6%).
What gets fly-tipped in Sefton?
Other household waste (2,455), black bags (household) (582) and white goods (254) were the most common kinds of waste in 2024/25.
Is fly-tipping in Sefton going up?
The count rose from 3,630 in 2023/24 to 4,110 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 Sefton?
Report it to the council for Sefton, 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.