“FLY-tipping gangs” are travelling into Southend and illegally dumping huge piles of rubbish, it has been claimed as Southend Council was urged to get tough and dish out fines.

Councillors debated fly-tipping during a meeting after Colin Campbell, Conservative councillor for the Southchurch ward, submitted a motion calling for more fines to be handed out to offenders.

It comes after it was revealed from April 2021 to March 2022, there were 1,961 reported incidents of fly-tipping in Southend and zero fixed penalty notices issued as Southend Council opts for an “educational approach”.

Daniel Cowan, Labour councillor for St Laurence Ward, said: “There is a place for education of our residents but there is also a place for robust enforcement.

“We know there is an exceptional cost for clearing up fly-tipping which is an addition to our waste contract and does put a lot of financial pressure on us.”

Councillors heard enforcement can be costly as without enough evidence fines can be overturned or a legal challenged.

Lydia Hyde, Labour councillor for St Laurence Ward, said: “It’s really hard for residents in Southend to submit their evidence. Heaven forbid you actually have some video footage, which a lot of people do now because of video door bells, because there is no capacity to submit it. One of the best ways we can get evidence to support what we’re doing is to have a facility that means our residents can submit that evidence.

“The other benefit is you can potentially pick up vehicles that are doing it. We know that there are effectively fly-tipping gangs that are coming into our borders with big vans, emptying them out on the side of the road and leaving them there.”

Government data show Southend is joint last in the country at 266th place for not issuing a single fine which can be up to £1,000.

Mr Campbell, whose motion was passed, said: “We have a CCTV network. Surely collecting the evidence we need and if it’s not perhaps we need to locate the cameras to more effective areas. If there are no fines being issued, what’s the point?”

Councillor Steve Buckley added that “organised crime may be behind the surge” and highlighted criminals posing as disposal businesses but then dumping rubbish.”