The leader of Buckinghamshire Council has announced plans to use dashcam footage sent in by members of the public to crack down on fly-tipping ‘litter louts’.

Martin Tett, who is also the councillor for the Little Chalfont and Amersham Common ward, said the move will be a “tough, no-nonsense” response to the record-breaking number of fly-tipping incidents in the county last year.

This summer, Buckinghamshire Council will become the first in the country to take advantage of new powers introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) allowing local authorities to use dashcam footage from members of the public in taking action on fly-tippers.

Cllr Tett said: “Litter is a scourge on our society and in Buckinghamshire, residents have had enough. Our roadsides and verges are strewn with plastic bottles, cans, discarded wrappers and paper that people have wilfully thrown from their vehicles with wanton disregard.

“We rely on the public to be our eyes and ears and help us to catch and crack down on these litter louts. Clearly, all dash cam footage should be recorded in a safe manner that does not endanger the driver or break the law.”

The new measures – which will also be applicable to mobile phone footage captured in a “safe and legal” manner – would help the council to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) of £500 to offenders, with no early payment fee and an increase in cost following a failure to pay.

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Speaking to The Times newspaper this week, Cllr Tett said people expect that “some sort of magic ‘waste fairy’” will pick up their litter after them and expressed regret that the “financially challenged” unitary authority can’t afford to fund “vast armies of people who go out litter-picking all the time”.

Buckinghamshire Council raised its maximum FPN for fly-tipping from £400 to £1,000 last year.

The FPNs, commonly used for smaller-scale offences, allow fly-tippers to pay a sum upfront and avoid civil court proceedings.

In February, a man who dumped a black sack containing household waste in Denham became the first person in the county to be handed a £1,000 notice.

DEFRA figures show that over 150 more fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Buckinghamshire in the year to March 2023, a record-breaking rise on the number recorded between 2021-22.

58 per cent of the fly-tipped waste was found on highways, followed by 26 per cent on footpaths and bridleways. Household waste made up 40 per cent of all reported incidents.