Incidents of fly-tipping in East Cambridgeshire have dropped by more than a third over the last four years.

New figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that incidents of rubbish being dumped unlawfully had been slashed from 344 in 2011 down to 212 in 2014.

Last year’s figure represents a 38per cent drop in the number of cases recorded since 2011.

So far this year, East Cambridgeshire District Council has recorded 55 incidents of fly-tipping.

But the figures did show that there has been an increase in cases of white goods being dumped at the roadside, with 23 incidents of fridges, freezers, and washing machines being recovered by the council.

That represents a 44 per cent increase since 2011, when there were 16 recorded cases.

East Cambridgeshire District Council will pay more than £538,000 this financial year to contractors for street cleaning, rubbish collection and the removal of fly-tipped items.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is the district cleaner now than in 2011? Write to Ely Standard, Alexander House, Fore Hill, Ely, CB7 4AF or e-mail daniel.mansfield@archant.co.uk