Flytipping incidents in Yorkshire up by 17% in the past year
Over 100,000 incidents were reported to local authorities in Yorkshire Pilast year
The number of fly-tipping cases councils in Yorkshire had to deal with last year jumped by over 17% on the previous year to 100,370, official figures show.
The figures from the Environment Department (Defra) relate to rubbish illegally dumped on public land, with private landowners across the country facing clear-up costs from the scourge of having waste fly-tipped on their property.
Countryside groups warned that farmland is being targeted by organised crime gangs dumping waste that blights the landscape and endangers wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment, leaving farmers with the clean-up bill despite being victims of illegal activity.
The data from councils reveal that Bradford had the highest number of cases in the region - at almost 20,000, followed by Leeds, Hull and Sheffield.
Household waste ranges from black bags of day-to-day rubbish to old furniture, carpets and bric-a-brac from loft and shed clearances.
Fly-tipping most commonly occurs on pavements and roads, accounting for a third of cases according to the figures.
385 cases in Yorkshire involved chemicals, oil and fuel being dumped.
Almost 50,000 enforcement actions were taken across the region, with Leeds leading the way in acting against suspected flytippers.
Defra on Wednesday published new guidance to help councils seize and crush more vehicles used for fly-tipping, or repurpose them for clean-up operations, along with advice on how to take cases to court.
Councils are also being urged to name and shame fly-tippers on social media.
Defra Minister Mary Creagh said: "We are empowering local authorities to clamp down on waste cowboys and restore pride in our local areas.
"I share the public's fury at seeing our streets, parks and fields used as dumping grounds.
"Fly-tippers should know - if you use your van to trash our countryside, don't be surprised when it ends up on the scrapheap.
She added: "This Government is investing in cutting-edge technology and boosting Environment Agency funding to put more waste crime officers on the ground, while introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the law."
The Liberal Democrats called for serious waste crime to be made a priority for the National Crime Agency, taking over investigations from the Environment Agency in the worst cases.
The party's environment spokesman Tim Farron said: "For far too long, waste gangs have pocketed millions in illegal earning, poisoning our environment and our health without consequence."
The Countryside, Land and Business Association (CLA) president Gavin Lane, warned: "The countryside is increasingly being targeted by organised crime gangs - often violent - who know that rural areas are under-policed and resourced.
"It's not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous - even including asbestos and chemicals - endangering wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment.
"Farmers are victims yet have to pay clean up costs themselves."
And he said: "We need to see penalties being enforced that better reflect the severity of the crime, and the seizure of vehicles must be the default penalty to send a clear signal that criminals will face real consequences if they are caught fly-tipping."
Arooj Shah, chairwoman of the Local Government Association's neighbourhoods committee, said councils were working "tirelessly" to counter fly-tipping.
"However, penalties handed down from prosecution fail to match the severity of the offence committed," she said.
"We continue to urge the Government to review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping so that offenders are given bigger fines for more serious offences to act as a deterrent.
"Manufacturers should also contribute to the costs to councils of clear up, by providing more take-back services so people can hand in sofas, old furniture and mattresses when they buy new ones."