SANCTIONS for those who dump mounds of rubbish in Reading have been dubbed ‘too lenient’ as just under 400 fly-tippers were fined in one year.

The council has revealed that it issued nearly 400 fixed penalty notices last year and began a number of successful court proceedings resulting in fines ranging from £51 to £1,000.

Figures from the council have been given following a report from the Local Government Association (LGA) which revealed offenders are being fined an average of £335 in 2020/21.

The LGA has called for higher fines to be introduced to punish offenders and deter would-be dumpers.

It has also suggested that courts should consider suspended sentences and locking up repeat offenders.

READ MORE: Activist alarm over fly-tipping at Reading bottle banks

Following the report, a spokesperson for Reading Borough Council has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service what it is doing to tackle fly-tipping.

The spokesperson said: “The takes fly-tipping extremely seriously and continues to increase its efforts to tackle this.

“A committed and dedicated Recycling and Enforcement team was set up in November 2019 to increase activity and action taken against fly-tipping.

“It is the council’s intention that investigations into fly-tipping will lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £400 or prosecution, the maximum court penalty for fly-tipping is an unlimited fine and/or a 5-year custodial sentence.

“The Council has invested the money from FPNs in its own CCTV surveillance cameras around areas most susceptible to fly-tipping and the footage has helped issue a number of fixed penalty notices and act as a deterrent.

READ MORE: Reading bottle bank hit by rubbish dumpers and litter AGAIN

“CCTV allows council officers to identify fly-tippers who are depositing waste from a vehicle, at any time of the day or night, where evidence may not have been found onsite.

“We are always looking at how we can increase the number of CCTV cameras in use and continually looking at new and innovative ways to tackle fly-tipping.”

The waste team has also undertaken activities to inform residents of the correct way to get rid of excess or bulky waste.

The council’s free bulky waste collection service was launched in May, in part to dissaude people from fly-tipping.

READ MORE: Reading free bulky waste collection service launched

People can book a free bulky waste collection every six months, with the council collecting a range of items, including bikes, cookers, tables tumble dryers and more.

You can book a slot here.

The council also supports and works with community efforts to collect bulky waste in areas with fly- tipping issues such as the annual Baker Street Area Neighbourhood Association Clean Up and other initiatives.

The spokesperson added: “If residents witness any fly-tipping activity we would encourage them to report the incident to ensure action can be taken.

“Fly-tipping can be reported to Reading Borough Council via the contact centre, the website or the Love Clean Reading app.

“Finally, there are many locations in Reading where waste can be recycled and disposed of; recycling banks, glass banks, residents can use the re3cyclopedia search tool to find their nearest recycling location and book a time slot to visit the Smallmead Recycling facility Click and Tip online booking. “

Nationally, the LGA report states clearing up fly-tipping costs councils more than more than £50 million a year, with councils in England dealing with with 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents in 2020/21, an increase of 16 per cent from the 980,000 reported in 2019/20.

The LGA represents more than 350 councils across England and Wales.