Crap Towns / Somerset / Fly-tipping

How bad is fly-tipping in Somerset?

Somerset council recorded 6.2 fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 people a year from 2023-24 to 2024-25, 44% lower than the typical English council's 11.0. In 2024-25 it recorded 2,830, with council land the most common spot. Of those, 24 were tipper-lorry loads or bigger, which cost £3,175 to clear. It issued 14 fixed penalty notices, 1 of them a littering fixed penalty notice issued in conjunction with fly-tipping, and brought no prosecutions.

**Over time**
Year	Incidents
2023-24	4,230
2024-25	2,830

**Where it was dumped, 2024-25**
Where	Incidents
Council land	1,285
The highway	1,142
Footpaths and bridleways	192
Not recorded	79
Back alleys	32
Rivers, streams and their banks	30
Private and residential land	29
Farmland	18
Commercial and industrial land	14
Railway land	9

**What was dumped, 2024-25**
What	Incidents
Other household rubbish	950
Black bags from homes	775
Building, demolition and excavation waste	231
Tyres	225
White goods	146
Not recorded	114
Garden waste	90
Chemical drums, oil and fuel	74
Other electrical	67
Vehicle parts	63
Black bags from businesses	43
Other business waste	40
Clinical waste	6
Asbestos	5
Animal carcasses	1

**How big, 2024-25**
Size	Incidents
A single black bag	55
A single item	279
A car boot or less	930
A small van load	966
A transit van load	435
A tipper lorry load	9
Significant or multiple loads	15

**Nearby councils**
Council	Incidents per 1,000 people a year
Bath and North East Somerset	11.2
North Somerset	9.1
Mid Devon	6.2
Somerset	6.2
North Devon	6.0
Wiltshire	5.5
Dorset	4.2
East Devon	2.5
The typical English council	11.0