A new rule has given local authorities the power to issue £400 fines as an alternative to prosecution for small-scale fly-tipping. 

The new rule came into force from the second week of May and follows the introduction of new government regulations on the unauthorised deposition of waste. It means that Barrow Borough Council will now have the authority to deal with fly tipping in a much harsher way.

Some 900,000 fly-tipping incidents were dealt with by local authorities in England during 2014-2015, but rural business leaders say these figures exclude much of the waste dumped on farmland and other private land. This is perhaps the most important problem to tackle as increased fly-tipping in the countryside has a negative impact on local wildlife, farm animals and the environment. 

Dorothy Fairburn, the northern region director for the Country Land and Business Association, said: "More effective action is urgently needed, offenders should be dealt with more robustly.

"Fixed penalty notices alone will not solve the problem as they only work if the offender is caught in the act."

Landowners are liable for any waste that is fly-tipped on their land and can be prosecuted if they do not clear it away. This means that farmers are often paying for litter to be removed that they have not produced.

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