Incidents of fly-tipping in Uttlesford rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2015/16 – with more than double the number of illegal waste dumps reported in 2012/13.

New Government statistics show in the last financial year there were 189 reported fly-tips in the district – up from 135 in 2014/15, 90 in 2013/14 and 87 in 2012/13.

Last year clearing up the tips, five of which included asbestos and one chemical or fuels, cost £12,963. Over the past three years, clear-up costs for Uttlesford District Council (UDC) have totalled £29,544.

UDC last year prosecuted three cases, leading to one discharge and two fines totalling £350 being imposed by the court, with one fine also issued by the council.

No fines or prosecutions were made by UDC in 2013-15, and between 2013-16 the authority has spent £4,653 investigating fly-tipping cases.

A UDC spokesman said: “The council is proud of the image of our district, as are our residents, and illegal fly-tipping spoils views and damages the environment.

“Our enforcement team will respond to any reports of fly-tipping and arrange removal of waste once investigated for any identifying evidence that will help to trace the culprit.

“We can remove fly-tips from public land, but waste dumped on private land is the responsibility of the land owner to deal with.

“We would encourage any residents who see a fly-tip, or witness someone fly-tipping, to complete the form on our website at www.uttlesford.gov.uk/flytipping as soon as possible.”

The figures, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), show Uttlesford is not alone.

Braintree District Council saw 775 incidents last year, with 764 in 2014/15, 918 in 2013/14 and 746 in 2012/13. The district has seen some large-scale fly-tips on an industrial scale – prompting a witness appeal – with total clear-up costs last year totalling £136,449.

Last year the council investigated 1,127 incidents, issued 65 fixed penalty notices and stopped and searched six vehicles. It also prosecuted six cases, resulting in fines totalling £1,765.

Nationally, DEFRA recorded 936,000 fly-tipping incidents in 2015/16 – an increase of 4% on the previous year. The cost of clearance for fly-tipping in England has been estimated as nearly £50million.