New cameras to be bought to tackle fly-tipping in South Derbyshire as half of trail cameras are broken
A new report by the Council found the broken and obsolete dummy cameras were purely being used as a deterrent
A Derbyshire council has been relying on broken “dummy” trail cameras to deter people from fly-tipping.
South Derbyshire District Council, run by Labour, has detailed in a new report that it has been using 12 trail cameras – typically used for monitoring wildlife – to catch fly-tipping criminals.
However, it says six of these – half – are broken and obsolete dummy cameras purely being used as a deterrent.
Meanwhile, it says the remaining six cameras “provide limited support and are not fit for purpose”.
It says: “Continued reliance on this equipment results in inefficiency, unnecessary safety risks and weak evidential outcomes.”
As a result, it is now looking to spend £50,000 on buying new cameras to cover up to five locations, in a bid to cut fly-tipping by 10 to 20 per cent, saving between £6,600 and £13,200 in clean-up costs.
The most recent six months – from April to September 2025 – show there were 383 fly-tipping incidents, which would put the district on track to see more than 760 incidents across a full 12-month period.
A council report says the district saw 582 fly-tipping incidents in the 2024 to 2025 financial year, costing the authotity £66,000 to clean up – £5,500 a month.
It writes: “Failure to deter offenders leads to repeat incidents, driving these costs higher year-on-year.
“Investment in modern surveillance will help identify and take enforcement action against offenders more effectively, creating a stronger deterrent effect and reducing the frequency of fly-tipping.
“Fly-tipping represents a serious criminal offence and can have a significant detrimental impact on the amenity and environmental quality of communities within the district.
“Local authorities deal primarily with the smaller, localised incidents of fly-tipping, while the Environment Agency focuses its efforts on dealing with larger, more serious incidents involving organised crime.
“Levels of fly-tipping continue to increase locally and nationally.
“Investment in more effective CCTV surveillance equipment will help to prevent repeat offences, reduce clean-up costs and strengthen deterrence in order to deliver both financial and community safety benefits.”
The council says there is proof to show cameras lead to a reduction in fly-tipping, improved community reassurance, reduced complaints and higher quality images – leading to better evidence to pursue offenders and reduce repeat incidents.
It would also assist the council in being able to issue its own fines for low-level incidents, which range from £500 to £1,000.