There were more than 5,500 incidents of fly-tipping in Oldham last year, new figures have shown.

New data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows there were 5,672 fly-tipping incidents in Oldham in the year to March 2023.

The figure means there were 23.3 incidents per 1,000 people in the borough.

The 5,672 incidents showed a slight decrease from the 5,903 incidents in 2021-22.

In the borough, most fly-tipped waste was discovered in back alleyways, accounting for 53 per cent of recorded incidents, with 16 per cent being discovered on highways.

The largest proportion of discarded waste was household waste, making up 46 per cent of all incidents in Oldham.

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During the same period between 2022 and 2023, 208 fixed penalty notices were issued in Oldham for fly-tipping, which led to £6,394 being paid by those found guilty of the offence.

Cllr Chris Goodwin, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said the council take fly-tipping "very seriously" and are tackling the issue through the Don't Trash Oldham campaign.

He said: "It is pleasing to see that the number of reports of fly tipping have reduced slightly from the figures recorded in 2021/22 however, this is not enough and we will continue to work proactively to continue to reduce fly tipping in the borough.

"No council will ever stop fly-tipping as it’s carried out by lazy people who would rather dump their waste and let others clean up after them or by individuals who are unlicensed to dispose of waste but are happy to take the money of residents who hire them in good faith."

Cllr Goodwin said since Don't Trash Oldham was launched in September 2021, the council has issued more than 640 fines for environmental crimes.

He added that fly-tipping costs the council more than £4.2m each year to clean up dumped waste, which could be spent on other vital services.

Cllr Goodwin said: "Over the last few years, we’ve put extra resources into tackling fly tipping such as restricting vehicle access in hot-spot areas and using CCTV cameras.

"These measures aim to deter potential offenders and protect our community spaces."

Anyone who has any information or footage related to fly tipping activities in Oldham is urged to get in touch with the council via the Don’t Trash Oldham webpage.