Reported fly-tipping in Barnsley hits highest number in a decade
Almost 6,000 reports were logged in 2024/25 - up from around 5,200 the previous year
Last updated 24th Feb 2026
The number of fly-tipping incidents reported in Barnsley last year was the highest recorded in the past decade, according to council figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Data from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council shows 5,932 reports were logged in 2024/25, up from 5,220 the previous year and higher than any annual total since records from 2015–16.
The cost of collecting and disposing of illegally dumped waste rose sharply to £429,397 during the same period, an increase of more than £130,000 on the previous year.
In contrast, the council recorded its lowest fly-tipping spend of the past decade in 2022–23, when £276,045 was spent dealing with 4,597 reports.
The figures show report numbers have fluctuated over time, with a previous high of 5,820 incidents recorded during the Covid pandemic in 2020–21.
Councillor James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, said fly-tipping continued to have a significant impact on communities across the borough.
“Costs have continued to rise due to new regulations such as Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulations, which demand affected furniture being separated for incineration. However, the cost per removal for last year is in line with the average cost per removal over the last decade.
“We have a proactive enforcement team who carried out over 1,000 fly-tipping and waste-related investigations in 2025. This saw us issue 98 Fixed Penalty Notices for environmental offences, 32 of which were for fly-tipping, with fines totalling £5,800. We also seized 11 vehicles during investigations.
“We’ll continue to take strong action against those who scourge our borough, but we’re not resting on our laurels.
“That’s why we’ve invested £3.5m into our Love Where You Live programme this year, including a new housing and environmental taskforce to provide targeted support to clean up communities across Barnsley and support residents to dispose of their waste both lawfully and safely.
“They’ve delivered 80 days across 15 wards since its introduction, removing 81 tonnes of fly-tipping and almost 11,000 bags of purple waste thanks to 583 hours of support from volunteers.”