Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is set to receive a Government grant worth tens of thousands of pounds to help tackle 'disgraceful' incidents of fly-tipping in the area.

According to the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), civic chiefs will be allocated £48,800 to spend on CCTV cameras for six community recycling sites which will also be fed into the town's existing watch network.

Similar methods have proved successful in Test Valley, with two men recently ordered to pay £3,000 between them after being caught by cameras fly-tipping waste at the same spot in separate incidents, just two days apart.

This comes as part of wider plans set out by Defra to combat fly-tipping which may also see the fee for disposing of household DIY waste scrapped. The rule change would mean DIYers would not be charged to get rid of waste including plasterboards, bricks and bath units.

The CLA, which represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses across areas including Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has welcomed the proposals, calling them ‘desperately needed’ at a time of record levels of fly-tipping.

Regional director Tim Bamford said: “We welcome these plans as they are desperately needed to help tackle record-levels of fly-tipping.

“The latest statistics from Defra revealed that incidents of fly-tipping on public land increased by 16 per cent across England in 2020/2021, to more than 1.1million, with some boroughs and districts in the South East suffering a 100 per cent rise in incidents compared with the year before.

“Sadly these figures do not tell the full story of this disgraceful behaviour which blights our beautiful countryside, as local authorities tend not to get involved with clearing incidences of fly-tipped waste from private land, leaving the landowner to clean up and foot what is often an extortionate bill.

“Fly-tipping has a massive environmental and financial impact, and councils should make it as easy as possible for waste to be disposed of responsibly. Charges and booking systems are potential barriers which are not helping.

“We would urge anyone who sees fly-tipping to report it, to help build up the most complete picture possible of the problems.”

The CLA is also calling for tougher penalties for those caught. Mr Bamford said: “Although the maximum fine for anyone caught fly-tipping is £50,000 or 12 months’ imprisonment, if convicted in a Magistrates' Court, this is rarely enforced. Unless tougher or more realistic action is taken to combat this kind of rural crime, it will continue to wreak devastation across rural communities.”

A number of other councils across the South East will also be awarded grants to tackle fly-tipping through trial projects, including CCTV to target hotspots.

These include Eastleigh, Buckinghamshire, Dover, Thanet, and Winchester.

For more information about the CLA and its work, visit cla.org.uk/in-your-area/south-east/ and follow @CLASouthEast on Twitter.