More than 800 fines were handed out for fly-tipping and littering offences in Reading over the last two years, council figures show.

Reading Borough Council launched what they called a ‘war on fly-tipping’ in 2019, with offenders paying £65,000 in penalties since then.

The figures reveal the scale of the problem that the recycling and enforcement team are facing.

“Fly tipping and littering are crimes against the environment and against local residents,” said councillor for neighbourhoods and communities Adele Barnett-Ward.

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“Our message is clear – if you spoil the streets of Reading for our law-abiding residents, you will be caught and you will be punished”.

The council have made 47 successful prosecutions of people for fly-tipping or littering offences.

Money paid in fines is reinvested in CCTV systems around Reading to help clamp down on offences and deter others.

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Cllr Barnett-Ward said the creaton of the enforcement team shows that the Council will be tough on offenders.

They have carried out around 260 trade waste inspections since their inception in November 2019 to ensure businesses comply with their duty of care responsibilities and dispose of their waste correctly.