Households behind surge in fly-tipping

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Domestic waste and black bin bags now account for more than three quarters of all fly-tipping, according to Government figures.

The rapid rise has accompanied the boom in fortnightly rubbish collections and the use of bin police to fine those who do not keep to strict rules governing their dustbins.

This suggests that the fortnightly collections, purportedly introduced in the name of reducing pollution, have proved to be a disaster for the environment.

The surge in domestic flytipping was revealed to MPs by Environment Minister Joan Ruddock.

Her figures show that in 2005, rubbish from homes amounted to just over half the waste that was illegally fly-tipped - 55.4 per cent.

By this year it had risen to 77 per cent. Earlier this month, Whitehall statistics showed fly-tipping as a whole went up by 5 per cent last year.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also published area statistics which showed much higher increases in levels of illegal dumping in parts of the country where bins are emptied only once every two weeks.

In areas with such schemes, the increase was 11.89 per cent.

In places with weekly collections, the rise was 4.24 per cent.

Critics of fortnightly collection - including the Daily Mail, which campaigned on the issue - have long predicted a related fly-tipping epidemic.

The Conservatives' Communities spokesman, Eric Pickles, said: "Under this Government, fly-tipping has become rife and is creating a blot on our landscape.

This is an environmental disaster of the Government's making, putting public health at risk."