About 20 reports of fly-tipping a day in Berkshire

Fly-tipping in Berkshire is on the rise, with about 20 reports a day across the county, figures show.

According to government data, there were nearly 7,700 incidents from 2023 to 2024, with Windsor and Maidenhead having the most at more than 1,900.

Wokingham had about 1,500 incidents, followed by Slough with 1,400 and Reading with 1,300.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council (RBWM) said it was "cracking down" on fly-tippers and has already issued fines this year.

One Maidenhead resident said he was so sick of the rubbish that he has started a litter-picking group, which will hold its first session on 30 March.

Doug Watts, a taxi driver, said he thinks fly-tipping has got worse over the last three years.

He said: "If we don't [do the litter picking] no-one else is going to do it as the borough is in financial difficulties."

Mr Watts said when people ask him why he gets involved, he tells them: "Because I am proud of Maidenhead and I want my town to be a good town."

A hotspot that Mr Watts said he often sees is in Nicholsons Lane and Brock Lane, where household waste is dumped on the park.

RBWM said its "task force is cracking down" on people dumping their rubbish in the borough.

The authority said it has already issued 11 fines to residents and businesses for fly-tipping since January.

The number of fly-tipping cases in parts of the south-east of England rose by 75% in 2023/24, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

In the same period, West Berkshire had 930 reports of fly-tipping and Bracknell Forest had 596.

Betty Bak has lived in Slough for 12 years and said she wants to move out of the borough because of the amount of fly-tipping in her local area, particularly in Farnham Road.

She said it had got worse since bin collections changed to once a fortnight.

"When you walk [you see] mattresses, house appliances, black sacks with rubbish.

"I will move out of Slough. It's just horrible and I think it will get worst."

A spokesperson for Slough Borough Council said while fly-tipping has increased it "cannot be related directly to residual bins being collected fortnightly, because of the nature of the waste being left".

They added: "General littering has increased and it is unfortunate that there is a minority that doesn't respect the areas that they live in, we encourage people to think about the consequences of this."

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