Flycapture, the national database of fly-tipping incidents, was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, to record fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities.
Flycapture data show that, in England, 926,534 incidents were reported in the period from April 2004 to March 2005. There were 2,509,976 incidents reported from April 2005 to March 2006.
A possible reason for the rise in fly-tipping offences recorded by Flycapture in its second year may simply be due to better reporting and a rise in the number of local authorities in England submitting regular returns. This number rose significantly, from 79.5 per cent. in April 2004 when the database was first launched, to 92 per cent. in 2005-06. Over time, the database will help us build up a more accurate picture of illegally dumped waste, as well as providing a useful management tool for local authorities in tackling the problem.
Data for 2006-07 are not yet available but will be published this summer. Flycapture does not record fly-tipping tonnages.