THE number of fly-tipping enforcement actions carried out by councils in Gwent rose by almost 50 per cent in the past year, according to Welsh Government figures.

In 2015/2016, there were 3,355 actions carried out by Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen councils.

This year – 2016/2017 – the number has risen to 5,019 for the collective total of the five local authorities - a rise of 49.6 per cent.

The type of actions which can be used against fly-tippers includes investigation, warning letters, statutory notices, fixed penalty notices, duty of care inspections, stop and search, prosecution and an injunction.

Of the 5,019 enforcement actions, the highest number were carried out in Newport with 3,028, followed by Caerphilly with 1,347 and both councils saw a rise on the previous year.

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said the figures did not suggest there was more fly-tipping but that the council was dealing with the issue more robustly.

She said: “Newport City Council is in the top three best performing local authorities in Wales when it comes to dealing with fly-tipping.

“The council relaunched its Pride in Newport Team (PINT) last year and took on extra staff to help tackle the problem.

“They have been involved in responding to reports of fly-tipping where they remove items and search through them to find evidence which could lead to a prosecution.

“The PINT team also work on information gathered from the public who either use the fly-tipping hotline to report incidents or report via the council website.

“The fly-tipping hotline number is 07973698582.

“The team are out daily and they are now capturing more evidence which shows with the greater numbers of enforcement actions carried out.”

Cllr Eluned Stenner, Caerphilly’s cabinet member for environment and public protection, said: “Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights our countryside.

“We actively encourage our residents to report instances of fly-tipping to us in order for our enforcement officers to investigate and hopefully bring the individual responsible to task.

“We have also recently launched an environmental initiative called ‘Enough is Enough’ which takes this tough stance a step further.

“Our residents will soon see the outcome of a raft of new prosecutions that are currently working their way through the courts.

“We will not allow the small minority of individuals who feel it is acceptable to fly-tip to get away with it and these figures demonstrate our proactive stance in addressing this issue.”

Both Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent councils saw drop in the number of actions, with 213 and 387 respectively.

A spokesman for Blaenau Gwent council said: “Fly-tipping is an anti-social and dangerous problem which costs thousands of pounds every year to clear away.

“It is unsightly and pollutes our environment. There is no excuse for knowingly fly-tipping or dumping rubbish.

“The council will fully investigate all complaints and also uses CCTV surveillance to proactively target-fly tippers.

“The number of enforcement actions is dictated by the number of fly-tipping complaints we receive as council.

“All complaints about fly-tipping made to environmental health will result in a formal investigation by a fully trained, experienced enforcement officer and if we find sufficient evidence to enable a prosecution we pursue one.

“Therefore the number of investigations and total number of enforcement actions will vary year on year depending on how many complaints are made to environmental health about fly tipping incidents.

“In the same way, warning letters are sent out to individuals or businesses where there is suspicion of involvement with a fly-tipping incident, but there is insufficient evidence to proceed to prosecution.

“This will also vary year on year.”

Cllr Fiona Cross, Torfaen’s executive member for the environment, said: “We investigate every incident of fly-tipping reported to us, however small it may seem, and take enforcement action wherever possible.

“We are only able to take action if evidence is found or a witness comes forward, and I would urge anyone who witnesses fly-tipping to report it confidentially to us.”

Monmouthshire County Council recorded 42 actions in 2016/17.

A council spokesman said: “The council has made eight prosecutions for fly-tipping since 2013/14 including two this year.

“This has resulted in total fines of £3,900 as well as 250 hours community service and £8,866 in costs awarded to the council.

“In addition to deterring fly-tippers, our legal action has enabled us to raise our profile and focus responsibility on persons to dispose of their waste properly.”