Council deploys CCTV cameras to catch fly-tippers

Temporary CCTV cameras are to be rolled out at known hotspots for fly-tipping, a council has said.

South Hams District Council said fly-tipping was a "significant issue" across Devon and the cameras aimed to "catch fly-tippers in the act".

Victor Abbot, executive member for community services, operations and leisure, said illegal dumping cost taxpayers thousands of pounds each year.

"By increasing the use of surveillance cameras, we are sending a clear message that fly tipping will not be tolerated in the South Hams," he said.

Alison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said fly-tipping increased in the UK by 9% in 2025 when about 1.2 million incidents were reported.

She said: "It's a huge problem - it costs an awful lot to clear up.

"Some because people are just not engaging their brain, they're not thinking about how they're going to get rid of their waste, they think if they just shove it out the front of their house that somebody's just going to come and get it."

Ogden-Newton said although there was no correlation between the cost of recycling or opening times for recycling centres and incidents of fly-tipping, it was "quite logical" to "make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing".

"I think it is important that we have a system that encourages people and makes it straightforward for them to do the right thing," she said.

The district council said the cameras would be used in accordance with data protection legislation and footage would only be used for enforcement purposes.

It reminded people using a waste contractor should ensure they were properly licensed as residents could still be held responsible if their waste was fly-tipped.

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