COUNCIL officials in Wiltshire have warned they will crack down on anyone found fly tipping off the Frome Road at Wingfield.

The move follows reports of more household rubbish being discarded in a layby on the B3109 main road out of Bradford on Avon close to the junction with the A366.

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “Fly tipping is an issue across the UK and we are determined eradicate it in Wiltshire.

“Recently, a fly tipper in Wiltshire was jailed for carrying out this crime and we always make every effort to investigate and take action against any individuals who do this.

“When the public are out and about we’d encourage them to report it via My Wiltshire, and we will endeavour to investigate every incident reported.”

Most of the waste dumped by the roadside is commercial waste tipped by contractors who are trying to avoid paying fees at a landfill site.

In 2015, it was revealed that fly-tipping costs had increased in Wiltshire by nearly 75 per cent over the previous two-year period.

During the same time there was an increase of more than 41 per cent in the number of fly-tipping cases in the Wiltshire Council area.

In 2015-16, there were 2,647 reports of fly-tipping to Wiltshire Council, rising to 3,019 in 2016-17.

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of waste on land – often in laybys, verges or farm gateways just off main roads and country lanes.

It differs from littering in that it involves the removal of waste from premises where it was produced with the deliberate aim of disposing of it unlawfully or as a result of legitimate sites not being available.

The offence of fly-tipping, and the additional offences of ‘knowingly causing’ or ‘knowingly permitting’ fly-tipping, are set out in Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The three offences are enforceable by both the Environment Agency and the local authorities.

The penalties include up to 12 months in prison or a fine or both. In the most severe cases, the fly tipper could be sent to jail for up to five years as well as being fined.

In addition, the registered keeper of a vehicle is liable for conviction if their vehicle is used during a fly-tipping offence.