The Sussex areas that rank among England’s worst places for fly-tipping – new figures reveal

There’s been over 2.7 million cases of fly-tipping in the past year in England.

That’s more than 7,397 illegal dumps every day.

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste, which can range from one bag of rubbish to large pieces of furniture – like mattresses and wardrobes. Not only can fly-tipping be an eyesore, it can also cause a real hazard to public health and the environment.

A new study by garage clearance company Rainbow Rubbish Removals, reveals cities with the highest and lowest rates of fly-tipping in England.

Four Sussex areas feature in the list of 96 towns and cities. Brighton & Hove ranks 82nd, one place ahead of Hastings and four above Crawley. Eastbourne, meanwhile, ranks 92nd.

The score takes into account the amount of instances compared to the number of residents and the total cost of fines made.

There were 1,688 cases of fly-tipping recorded over the past year in Brighton. By comparison, there were 1,541 in Hastings, 1,906 in Crawley, and just 716 in Eastbourne.

Brighton & Hove had an average of almost 243 land type incidents per 10,000 residents. Hastings had an average of 231, while Crawley and Eastbourne had averages of 211 and 121 respectively.

No fines were issued for fly-tipping in Brighton & Hove, Hastings, Crawley and Eastbourne.

Lewisham was rated the worst local authority for fly-tipping, with just over 2,324 land type incidents per 10,000 residents. The authority had a total of £11,606 in fines made over the last year and had an overall fly-tipping score of 9.37.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne was runner-up but had a larger overall total amount of fines made at £21,771.

Westminster, Peterborough and Newham all ranked highly with scores above eight.

Chesterfield was ranked the best, with an average of just over 81 land type incidents per 10,000 residents and no fines made.

Miroslav Radov, waste expert at garage clearance company Rainbow Rubbish Removals, said: “Fly-tipping isn’t just an ugly blot on the landscape, it’s a stubborn public health risk and an environmental time bomb.

“Our findings reveal a worrying pattern in big cities, especially London, where crowded boroughs like Lewisham and Westminster are drowning in waste but barely dishing out fines.

“If action isn’t stepped up, these areas could become permanent dumping grounds, with taxpayers footing the clean-up bill year after year.

“Solving this crisis means more than just sweeping up the mess; it calls for tougher penalties that bite, more accessible waste disposal options, and a cultural shift where people take real responsibility for the rubbish they create.”