Reports of fly-tipping across Leicestershire went up by over a fifth following cuts to tip opening times by the Conservatives on the County Council.

The Conservatives also imposed charges for taking “hard-core” waste (soil, rubble and crockery) to the county tips.

Government figures show that the district and borough councils in Leicestershire had to clear up 3749 fly-tipping incidents in 2017-18 compared to 3099 in 2015-16: an increase of 650.

The estimated costs of clearing up this mess was an extra £90,000: up by two thirds on the 2015-16 figure.

The information does not include reports of fly-tipping on private land.

Whilst we can’t be sure that the increase in fly-tipping is directly due to the changes, it is noticeable that the increase is 3 times the national average.

There was also no increase in Leicester, where tips are not controlled by the county council.

The borough and district councils also investigate and issue penalties for those caught fly-tipping. Between 2015-16 and 2017-18 these also went up by a fifth, compared to no change nationally.

Both the effort to clear up the mess and catch those responsible is costing borough and district councils, and therefore Council Tax payers in Leicestershire, more.

The county council is trying to save money because Conservative MPs (including the one elected here) have voted for swinging cuts to council budgets.

Even then, Conservative councillors could have found savings elsewhere, or kept the busiest tips like Oadby open longer.

Instead their actions have been followed by an increase in fly-tipping and the possibility of dangerous contamination of public land by waste that should be disposed of properly.

The local councils support a campaign site to reduce fly tipping and catch the perpetrators.