CASH-STRAPPED councils in Cumbria forked out almost £200,000 last year cleaning up after fly-tippers.

Across the county, 3,400 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in 2014/15, according to new figures from Defra. There were significantly more incidents in the Barrow borough (1,377) than any other in Cumbria – and the clean-up cost was £73,353.

The next highest was Allerdale, where there was 737 incidents, with a clean-up cost of £49,537.

In the South Lakeland District Council area, staff had to deal with 380 incidents at a cost of £18,758.

In the Copeland Borough Council area, there were 486 incidents at a cost of £33,385.

The figures also show that fly-tipping nationally is on the rise – with almost 50,000 more incidents recorded than the previous year, and 200,000 more than two years ago.

And according to the Country Land and Business Association, this is only a fraction of the overall cost of clearing up after fly-tippers.

That is because the figures do not include any incidents on private land, which farmers and landowners are legally obliged to clear and pay for themselves.

A Freedom of Information request submitted to 201 local authorities revealed in August that Barrow council has dealt with more than 4,000 cases of fly-tipping since 2012. Only three of those cases resulted in prosecution. No-one from Barrow council was available for comment yesterday.

An SLDC spokesman said: “We manage fly-tipping issues very tightly in South Lakeland and in recent years we have seen a reduction in the number of incidents.

“There is no need for anyone to fly-tip in this area because there are four household waste recycling centres in Kendal, Ulverston, Grange, and Ambleside . W “We would encourage residents to make use of these excellent facilities e will not hesitate to take action against culprits who illegally dump waste.”

Copeland council’s waste and enforcement manager Janice Carrol said: “In addition to the large household waste recycling centres provided by Cumbria County Council to help local residents and business, we provide a bulky household waste collection service.

“This is for items that cannot or should not be put into wheelie bins or sacks such as household electrical items, furniture or white goods.

“We also provide a commercial or trade waste service seven days per week and have community recycling points throughout the borough.

“The investigation and removal of illegal fly-tipping is costing the council around £44,000 per year.”