THOUSANDS of flytippers are getting away with dumping waste in Powys new figures revealed by Joyce Watson AM show.
Figures obtained from the Environment Agency show that just three people were prosecuted despite 5,194 incidents being reported between April 2005 and December 2008. All three prosecutions were made between April and December last year.
Nationally, there were more than 157,000 incidents of fly-tipping reported in Wales over a period of less than three years.
That equates to 143 cases a day but only 0.7% of these have resulted in local authorities prosecuting the offenders.
The Labour AM for Mid and West Wales said: “I am truly shocked by these latest figures which show that literally thousands of flytippers in Powys are going unpunished every year.
"I will be writing to Powys County Council to ask what extra measures can be put in place to improve the woeful prosecution rate.
“We need to crack down on offenders and it is crucial that the council doesn’t show a lax attitude.
“There is no excuse for those who fly tip whether it’s litter, abandoning vehicles or dumping waste.
“More needs to be done locally and nationally to ensure that our environment is not used as a dumping ground for those lazy people who cannot be bothered to dispose of their waste in the correct fashion.”
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