To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions for fly-tipping were (a) brought and (b) successful in 2007-08; and what proportion of reported fly-tipping incidents in that year this represented in each case. (279874)

In 2007-08, English local authorities and the Environment Agency reported 1,285,300 fly-tipping incidents on the Flycapture system ranging from single black bags to “significant multiple loads”.

1,966 prosecutions were taken against fly-tippers in 2007-08 which represents 0.15 per cent. of the incidents reported. 1,863 (95 per cent.) of these prosecutions were successful.

Prosecution figures are only for cases taken through the court system and do not reflect the full range of enforcement actions available to local authorities.

In 2007-08 local authorities took an additional 179,122 enforcement actions against fly-tippers, consisting of warning letters, statutory notices, fixed penalty notices, formal cautions and injunctions.