FLYTIPPING fines dished out in one single year in Basildon would have raked in £2.5million for the council...if those behind the dumped rubbish coughed up the cash.

New figures have revealed that Basildon Council ranked third for the most fixed penalty notices dished out for fly-tipping in the 2021 to 2022 financial year - the latest available figures.

In Basildon, £120 fines are dished out for littering, while anyone accused of the “unauthorised deposit of waste” can be hit with a £400 fine.

During the year, 6,240 fixed penalty notices were handed out by the council - which would have pulled in close to £2.5million if all offenders paid up.

Kevin Blake, councillor responsible for environment, carbon reduction and waste enforcement, said: “This data shows Basildon Council takes every incident of fly-tipping very seriously.

“We investigate every report of fly-tipping we receive and take the necessary enforcement action to keep the area residents live in, a place to be proud of.”

In that same period, there were 3,682 recorded incidents - down from 4,375 the previous year.

Recent flytipping convictions include Insta Roof Roofing Specialists owner Niki Williams, 45, from Hollybank, Langdon Hills, who admitted to illegally dumping rubble sacks in the car park of Wickford Avenue, Basildon.

Mr Blake added: “Disposing of waste illegally will not be tolerated, and there are consequences that cost for those who do.

“I hope this data sends out a strong message to anyone in the borough that disposing of waste incorrectly will land you with an FPN, and if it’s not paid, then you’ll be taken to court.

“We continue to focus on keeping the borough clean for our residents and have maintained this level of focus into this year.

“I would like to thank officers for their dedication to pursuing each incident, and residents for their continued support in helping us identify incidents and their perpetrators.

“Together we are making Basildon a cleaner, greener borough for everyone to enjoy.”