Fly-tipping reports in Sevenoaks district rose from 1,462 to 2,310 in two years, yet the council issued seven fines last year, figures obtained under FOI show.
Reports of fly-tipping in the Sevenoaks district have risen by 58% in two years. Across those three financial years the council issued 28 fines and brought one prosecution.
The figures come from Sevenoaks District Council. It released them to Sevenoaks Online on 28 September in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations (council reference FOI 667-2026).
2,310 reports in a year
The council logged 1,462 reported fly-tipping incidents in the 2023/24 financial year. That rose to 2,090 in 2024/25 and 2,310 in 2025/26.
The current year is running faster still. There were 1,169 reports between April and the end of August 2026. That is about 234 a month, against an average of about 193 a month across 2025/26.
Five months is a rate, not a forecast. Fly-tipping is not spread evenly through the year, and the council gave no monthly breakdown.
Seven fines against 2,310 reports
Enforcement has not risen with the reports. The council’s figures for fixed penalty notices, covering both fly-tipping and waste duty of care offences, are:
| Financial year | Reports | Fines issued | Fines paid | Value issued | Value received |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 1,462 | 6 | 5 | £1,615 | £1,315 |
| 2024/25 | 2,090 | 15 | 14 | £3,785 | £3,485 |
| 2025/26 | 2,310 | 7 | 5 | £1,100 | £1,700 |
| 2026/27 (April to August) | 1,169 | 2 | 2 | £600 | £600 |
In 2025/26 that is one fine for every 330 reports. Across the whole period the council issued 30 fines against 7,031 reports, and 26 of them were paid.
One line in the table does not add up on its face. For 2025/26 the council reports £1,700 received against £1,100 issued. Its response does not explain the difference. Across all four periods the two totals match, at £7,100 each.
A report is not the same as a provable offence. A fine needs an identified offender, and much dumped waste carries nothing that names one.
Two prosecutions, two convictions
The council brought two prosecutions in the period, and both ended in a conviction:
- one in 2024/25, with £2,762 in fines and costs awarded
- one in 2026/27, with £1,500 awarded
There were none in 2023/24 or 2025/26.
The 2026/27 figure matches the case the council announced on 3 September, in which a man from Erith was given a 28-week suspended sentence for dumping commercial waste in Redmans Lane, near Shoreham. Investigators traced him through an invoice left in the pile. We reported it in Shoreham fly-tipper handed 28-week suspended sentence. That case took more than two years to reach court.
What the council says it does not hold
We asked five questions. The council answered three with figures. To the other two, and to part of the first, its answer was “data not held”:
- Where it happens. The council says it holds no breakdown of reports by parish. It also says it holds no list of the 20 locations with the most reports.
- What it costs. The council says it holds no figure for the total cost of clearing fly-tipped waste.
That leaves two questions residents might reasonably ask unanswered: which lanes are hit most often, and what the clean-up costs council tax payers.
What it means for residents
If waste is dumped on public land, the council clears it. Report it at sevenoaks.gov.uk/flytipping or on 01732 227000. Do not go through the waste yourself.
Householders can be fined too. The duty of care offences in the council’s figures apply to people whose rubbish ends up dumped after they handed it to someone unlicensed. Ask any waste carrier for their registration, and check it on the Environment Agency’s public register.
The district moves to wheelie bins on 12 October. Our guides to Sevenoaks bin collection days and the wheelie bin roadshows set out what changes. For offences recorded by the police, see our Sevenoaks crime data page.
How we got the figures
The council says it received our request on 20 September. It replied on 28 September, inside the 20 working days the law allows. Anyone can make a request, free of charge, through the council’s FOI page.
Sources
- Sevenoaks District Council, response to FOI/EIR request 667-2026, “fly-tipping reports, clearance costs and enforcement”, sent to Sevenoaks Online on 28 September 2026. Obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
- Sevenoaks District Council, Fly-tipper prosecuted, 3 September 2026
- Sevenoaks District Council, report fly-tipping
- Sevenoaks District Council, make a Freedom of Information request
- Environment Agency, public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers
Image: Cockerhurst Oasts, Redmans Lane, Shoreham by Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph. The photo shows the lane, not dumped waste. Chart by Sevenoaks Online.
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