Tendring District Council (TDC) has taken firm enforcement action following fly tipping at Clacton’s Brook Retail Park over the Christmas period – underlining its zero tolerance approach to waste dumping.

Council officers were called to the site after bottles, cards and clothing were dumped next to full recycling banks, creating an unsightly mess for residents and shoppers.

An investigation by the council’s Waste Team found the majority of the waste was recyclable material, believed to have come from multiple individuals, along with several bags of household waste piled on top of recycling bins.

As part of the enforcement response, officers identified named individuals from evidence within the waste.

A resident linked to the fly tipping was visited at their home address and issued with a face to face formal warning for the offence of fly tipping.

Councillor Adrian Smith, TDC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said the council takes a firm but proportionate approach.

“Fly tipping is a crime – and it is a crime not to care,” he said.

“We act swiftly and take this very seriously. In this case, our officers collected evidence from the dumped waste and carried out doorstep enforcement action.

“Where evidence is found, we will take action. Our first approach is to engage directly with those responsible, make the seriousness of the offence absolutely clear and encourage people to act responsibly.

“But those who ignore warnings should be in no doubt – we will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice and continued offending can lead to prosecution through the courts.”

Councillor Smith praised local litter pickers for reporting the incident, and thanked council officers for dealing with what he described as one of the more difficult aspects of enforcement work.

“I want to thank the residents who reported this and our enforcement team who went through the waste to identify those responsible,” he said.

“Thanks also to Tesco, who arranged and paid for a licensed waste contractor to remove the waste that was on their land. That meant Tendring residents did not have to pay for the clean up.

“It’s encouraging to see people using recycling banks, but if bins are full, use another site or wait until they’ve been emptied. Discarding waste on the ground is considered fly-tipping and is not acceptable.

“We work hard to keep our public spaces clean and pleasant for everyone, and we expect residents and visitors to play their part in maintaining that standard.”

Fly tipping remains a priority for TDC, with 545 incidents recorded in 2025, representing a 6.2 per cent reduction compared to 581 incidents in 2024.

Last year a resident was also slapped with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice after waste was dumped in the Great Oakley area.

Councillor Smith added: “People might think they’re saving a few pounds by dumping waste or using an unlicensed carrier, but it can end up costing them far more – with fines running into thousands of pounds.

“If it’s your waste, it’s your responsibility. I want to make residents aware that if they use unlicensed waste carriers who then fly-tip, you are liable for your waste and where it ends up.”

Fly tipping is illegal under the Environmental Protection Act and can result in fixed penalty notices, prosecution, fines and imprisonment in the most serious cases.

For more information or to report fly tipping online, go to www.tendringdc.gov.uk/content/fly-tipping.