Fly-tipping in Tower Hamlets council area: incidents, enforcement and fines
6,029 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Tower Hamlets in 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025), according to the council's return to Defra: 18.2 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 13,594 enforcement actions, including 426 fixed penalty notices and no prosecutions.
Table of Contents
- Fly-tipping in Tower Hamlets at a glance, 2024/25
- Where fly-tipping happened in Tower Hamlets
- What was fly-tipped in Tower Hamlets
- How big the fly-tips were in Tower Hamlets
- Fly-tipping enforcement and fines in Tower Hamlets
- Fly-tipping in London councils, 2024/25
- Related pages
- Questions about fly-tipping in Tower Hamlets
- About these figures
Among the 267 councils in England that count all incidents, Tower Hamlets had the 77th highest rate of fly-tipping per resident in 2024/25. Of the 25 ranked councils in London, it had the 6th lowest rate. The count was down 11% on 2023/24 (6,744), against a rise of 9% in Defra's England total.
| Measure | Tower Hamlets | London (councils counting all incidents) | England (councils counting all incidents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fly-tipping incidents | 6,029 | 371,409 | 1,077,530 |
| Incidents per 1,000 residents | 18.2 | 56.9 | 21.1 |
| Share on highways | 2% | 29% | 33% |
| Tipper lorry loads or larger | 139 | 10,999 | 38,558 |
| Enforcement actions per 100 incidents | 225.5 | 38.7 | 42.1 |
| Fixed penalty notices per 100 incidents | 7.1 | 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.
Footpaths and bridleways accounted for the most incidents in Tower Hamlets (5,833, 97%). 2% of incidents were on highways, against 33% across England.
| Land type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footpath or bridleway | 5,833 | 96.7% | 20.7% |
| Highway | 122 | 2.0% | 33.4% |
| Back alleyway | 31 | 0.5% | 9.0% |
| Council land | 22 | 0.4% | 18.4% |
| Other or not identified | 13 | 0.2% | 16.2% |
| Private or residential land | 8 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| Agricultural land | 0 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Commercial or industrial land | 0 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 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 3,230 incidents (54%; England 44%). Relative to England, Tower Hamlets had a larger share of other commercial waste (5.2% against 2.9%) and white goods (8.2% against 4.7%). The waste type was not identified for 19% of incidents.
| Waste type | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other household waste | 3,230 | 53.6% | 43.6% |
| Other or not identified | 1,154 | 19.1% | 15.9% |
| White goods | 493 | 8.2% | 4.7% |
| Black bags (household) | 325 | 5.4% | 17.2% |
| Other commercial waste | 312 | 5.2% | 2.9% |
| Construction, demolition and excavation waste | 240 | 4.0% | 5.5% |
| Black bags (commercial) | 183 | 3.0% | 2.4% |
| Vehicle parts | 47 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Green waste | 17 | 0.3% | 2.9% |
| Other electrical items | 14 | 0.2% | 1.7% |
| Animal carcasses | 10 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Tyres | 4 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
17% were a car boot load or less (England 53%). 80% were van loads (England 43%). 139 incidents were the size of a tipper lorry load or larger (2.3%; England 3.7%): 120 tipper lorry loads and 19 significant or multiple loads.
| Size | Incidents | Share | England share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single black bag | 41 | 0.7% | 9.2% |
| Single item | 383 | 6.4% | 16.3% |
| Car boot load or less | 616 | 10.2% | 27.3% |
| Small van load | 3,984 | 66.1% | 30.8% |
| Transit van load | 866 | 14.4% | 12.7% |
| Tipper lorry load | 120 | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Significant or multiple loads | 19 | 0.3% | 1.3% |
The council took 13,594 enforcement actions against fly-tipping in 2024/25, 225.5 for every 100 incidents (England 42.1, London 38.7). The most common action was investigations (10,989, 81% of all actions; England 68%). It issued 426 fixed penalty notices (3.1% of its actions; England 8.4%): 426 for fly-tipping itself.
No prosecutions were recorded. Among the 254 councils ranked on enforcement, Tower Hamlets had the 5th highest rate of actions per 100 incidents and the 105th lowest share of fixed penalty notices.
| Action | Number | Per 100 incidents | England per 100 incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigations | 10,989 | 182.3 | 28.8 |
| Warning letters | 1,300 | 21.6 | 5.5 |
| Statutory notices | 240 | 4.0 | 1.7 |
| Fixed penalty notices | 426 | 7.1 | 3.5 |
| Duty of care inspections | 639 | 10.6 | 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 |
No longer series is shown for Tower Hamlets: comparable figures start in 2023/24 because the count went from 15,861 in 2022/23 to 6,744 in 2023/24 while England's changed by +6%; 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.
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 Tower Hamlets (police recorded crime, from data.police.uk)
How many fly-tipping incidents were there in Tower Hamlets in 2024/25?
6,029 incidents were recorded in 2024/25, 18.2 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents. In 2023/24 the figure was 6,744.
What is the fine for fly-tipping in Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets 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 426 fixed penalty notices (426 for fly-tipping itself).
Where does fly-tipping happen in Tower Hamlets?
In 2024/25 fly-tipping was most often recorded on footpaths and bridleways (5,833, 97%), highways (122, 2%) and back alleyways (31, 1%).
What gets fly-tipped in Tower Hamlets?
Other household waste (3,230), white goods (493) and black bags (household) (325) were the most common kinds of waste in 2024/25.
Is fly-tipping in Tower Hamlets going up?
The count fell from 6,744 in 2023/24 to 6,029 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 Tower Hamlets?
Report it to the council for Tower Hamlets, 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.