Peterborough farmer faces up to five fly-tipping incidents a week
31st March 2025
A farmer who lives in the biggest fly-tipping hotspot in the East of England and faces the crime on a daily basis has spoken out about how it influences his life.
The government’s latest figures show that Peterborough has the highest number of fly-tipping incidents per person in the region.
The city council area had 46 recorded fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 people. This marks a total of 10,128 incidents from 2023 to 2024.
Farmer William Stevenson said he experiences up to five fly-tipping incidents a week on his arable farm near Peterborough, with everything from cannabis production waste to asbestos, furniture, tyres, fridges and toys dumped on his land.
He said: “I am not surprised that Peterborough has the highest rate of fly-tipping in the region. We have five incidents here a week on a bad week and two a week at other times.
“Our farmers’ WhatsApp group frequently has messages about fly-tipping in the area. This takes up a lot of time dealing with incidents and makes it harder for us to produce food for the nation.”
Mr Stevenson added that the frequency of the incidents has impacted his mental health.
“Fly-tipping is on your mind most of the time, and you become less trusting of people and suspicious whenever you see a vehicle you don’t recognise – this is not a nice mindset to have,” the farmer added.
READ MORE: Hertfordshire farmer left with 40 tonnes of fly-tipped waste on her land
Calls for urgent action
The NFU estimates that at least two-thirds of farmers, nationally, have been affected by fly-tipping.
With farmers and landowners often legally responsible for removing the rubbish, despite being the victim of the crime, the clear-up costs the industry tens of millions of pounds a year.
The illegal dumping of waste is a massive strain on the public purse as local authorities and the Environment Agency tackle rubbish dumped on public land. Fly-tipping also harms the environment and blights the countryside.
Therefore, the NFU is calling for urgent action to tackle fly-tipping on farmland.
This includes making it easier for the public to reduce and recycle waste and punishing offenders who are caught dumping waste illegally with punitive fines, so they act as a deterrent.
The NFU also wants to see a consistent approach across the country where police, government agencies and local authorities are working more closely together to tackle the problem.
The union believes that the whole system needs to tackle fly-tipping at the source, from packaging design, recycling, landfill tax and tip opening hours, to make it easier for the public to reduce, re-use and recycle waste.
Constant battle against illegal dumping
Mr Stevenson, who is also the NFU Peterborough chairman, said: “Fly-tipping is something we have just become used to dealing with on a regular basis, and it shouldn’t be that way.
“We all have a responsibility to tackle fly-tipping in our communities, and I would encourage anyone who witnesses any fly-tipping incidents to report them to the authorities.”
NFU vice president Rachel Hallos added that fly-tipping continues to be a huge problem and one that plagues the lives of so many of us living and working in the countryside.
“The scale of waste crime is staggering, with nearly a fifth of all waste – an estimated 34 million tonnes – being handled illegally every year.
“For farmers, this isn’t just a statistic – it’s a constant battle against illegal dumping, the damage it causes to our land and the financial burden of clearing it up.
“The fact that these statistics don’t even capture the true scale of the problem on private land only reinforces the urgent need for stronger deterrents, better enforcement and real support for victims,” she continued.
Ms Hallos added that the NFU has long called for tougher action on waste crime, including holding those responsible to account and ensuring local authorities and the Environment Agency have the resources they need to tackle this growing issue and protect our rural communities, businesses and the environment.
“We need a joined-up approach that makes it easier to dispose of waste responsibly and holds accountable those who choose to break the law,” the NFU vice president concluded.
READ MORE: Incident on Jeremy Clarkson’s farm initiates talks about fly-tipping
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