Thinking of dumping your unwanted rubbish by the side of the road? Think again.

East Cambs District Council wants to eradicate fly-tipping once and for all – by doubling the fine for those found dumping waste in the district.

The Government gave local authorities the green light to fine fly-tippers £150 to £400 in May last year, and the council’s environmental services manager Liz Knox will recommend the regulatory services committee to set the fine at the maximum of £400 at a meeting next Monday (6).

The current fine for fly-tipping in East Cambridgeshire is £200, but Ms Knox says that amount isn’t enough to cover officer fees and removal and disposal costs.

“Having taken into consideration the cost of investigation of the fly tip by officers and the clearance and disposal of the waste consideration needs to be given to increasing the penalty to the maximum charge of £400,” said her report.

Council workers cleared up 215 fly tips between January 2016 and January 2017 at an estimated cost of £64,500 – a rise of 20 per cent from 179 incidents from the previous year.

It’s estimated that each call out costs £397, with £180 being spent on officer time, £82 on removal and £135 spent removing each tonne of waste.

“While acting as a deterrent, fixed penalty notices will save the council time and money in punishing offenders as they will provide a quicker alternative to prosecuting fly tippers through the courts,” Ms Knox added.

“Having looked at the cost associated with this environmental crime, it is evident that the default payment of £200 is insufficient to cover the cost of dealing with an individual fly tip.”

Ms Knox will also recommend that an early payment fine of £120 if the penalty is paid within 10 days of issue, to be scrapped.

Fines for fly tipping can be as much as £50,000 or six months imprisonment (or both) on conviction in court.

Local incidents of fly-tipping reported on FixMyStreet.com

• Red and white tape and litter found in hedges in Dullingham.

• Furniture dumped next to the road near Littleport.

• Four cars dumped by the road in Littleport.

• A fridge-freezer dumped by the roadside in Little Downham

• Children’s toys dumped in hedges in Downham Road, Ely.

• Sofas and chairs left by the road in Queen Adelaide.