Britain is at risk of being buried under a rash of fly-tipping, one of the UK's leading waste management companies says.
According to BusinessWaste.co.uk , every single day there are scores of incidents where hazardous waste is dumped in streets, fields and residential waste bins across the UK as unscrupulous business criminals attempt to avoid fees and the landfill tax.
The situation is made worse by local government budget cuts, meaning that councils are increasingly stretched in the battle against fly-tippers, who seem to be getting the upper hand.
"In the end it's the Council Tax payer who has to foot the bill for the clean-up," said BusinessWaste.co.uk 's Mark Hall, "and a lot of the time it is dishonest trades people leaving their waste somewhere they shouldn't."
A scan through local newspaper reports show that fly-tipping is a constant and severe problem for local authorities the length of Britain, despite the threat of £50,000 fines for those caught.
Even Hart Council in North Hampshire - voted the area with the best quality of life in Britain for two years in a row - reports that it has received 150 reports of fly-tipping between March and May of this year, with officials considering installing hidden cameras at hotspots to catch culprits.
"The squeeze really needs to be put on tradesmen and companies to prevent this kind of anti-social and dangerous behaviour," said Mark Hall, "While some simply avoid disposing of their waste to avoid paying fees, the real danger comes from those who fly-tip hazardous materials to avoid legal and financial difficulties."
According to BusinessWaste.co.uk, fly-tipping criminals tend not to be picky about where they leave waste, but most incidents occur in the following places:
Industrial estates
Country roads and lay-bys
Fields and woodland
Housing estate garage blocks
Household bins
"Unfortunately, while massive fines are a deterrent, the real problem is catching these people in the act, and with councils struggling for funding it has given the criminals the edge," said Mark.
"But there's a chance to prevent this," said BusinessWaste.co.uk: "It's also down to responsible companies like our own to lead by example and offer the best possible prices to encourage legal waste disposal and recycling."