Croydon reports more than 55,000 fly‑tipping incidents amid deep council debt and enforcement gaps

Croydon has recorded 55,192 incidents of fly‑tipping in the first eight months of 2025, local and industry figures say, as residents, enforcement groups and council officials warn that financial pressures and gaps in enforcement are undermining efforts to clear waste and limit health risks.

The metropolitan borough, which officials say is London’s most populous, has seen large-scale dumping across parks, housing estates and back lanes, with residents reporting piles of household and commercial waste up to 15 feet wide. Local volunteers and neighbourhood campaigners say the volume and variety of material — from white goods to rubble and occasionally asbestos — have created both nuisance and potential public‑health hazards.

Residents and an environmental enforcement firm described multiple, overlapping drivers behind the surge. Graham Mitchell, who told reporters he has filed some 18,000 reports to the council over the past year through the Love Clean Streets app, said he believed reduced local enforcement and financial constraints were major factors. "The council’s finances are shot," he said. "There isn’t proper enforcement to stop fly‑tippers."

Croydon Council has declared debts of about £1.6 billion and officials say it has been effectively insolvent on occasions since 2020. The council expects to spend about £71 million in the current year servicing that debt, an amount council documents show has constrained its capacity to maintain some frontline services, they say.

The council renewed a contract with waste contractor Veolia on April 1, 2025, awarding an eight‑year agreement reported to be worth roughly £40 million after a failed tender round. Veolia told media it clears an average of 234 fly‑tips per day and said it works to provide a reliable service. Critics, however, say local residents have reported instances of reports being closed prematurely and material left uncollected.

Industry groups and enforcement companies also point to the rise of unlicensed or "cowboy" waste collectors. John Roberts, chief service officer at environmental enforcement firm Kingdom LAS, said some operators use social media to advertise cheap collections, take payment and then illegally dump the waste. He warned that under the Environmental Protection Act 2018 individuals can be held responsible for where their waste ends up even if they pay a third party to remove it.

"People need to make sure they know where their waste is going, so they don’t find themselves on the end of an investigation," Roberts said. He and other enforcement professionals noted that fly‑tips can bring vermin and that crews sometimes find hazardous material, including asbestos and large amounts of raw meat, creating added public‑health and environmental risks.

Low levels of legal action were highlighted by residents and by local data. Figures cited in reporting show just 11 prosecutions for littering in the previous 12 months, a number critics say is insufficient to deter illegal disposals. Neighbourhood safety officers — considered the frontline for prevention and community engagement — were removed from some council responsibilities in March 2022, a change some residents and campaigners link to weakening local enforcement.

Residents describe a range of community impacts beyond the visual blight. Some older residents say they have installed extra security measures and altered daily routines because of concerns about anti‑social behaviour and street drug dealing. Business owners and market traders told reporters that open drug markets and an increase in street disorder have affected trade in parts of the borough.

The fly‑tipping surge has occurred against a backdrop of other social and policing challenges in Croydon. Met Police figures cited in reporting show the borough recorded more than 1,200 sexual offences and more than 2,500 incidents of stalking and harassment in the year to March 2025. Croydon Council acknowledged the wider pressures facing the borough and said it was working to "get finances back on track and deal with the legacy of past financial mismanagement."

A council statement to the press said tackling fly‑tipping remained a priority for Croydon’s mayor, Jason Perry, and promised "swift enforcement action". The council also highlighted contracted waste‑collection services and urged residents to report incidents using official channels so crews and enforcement teams could respond.

Local and national environmental campaigners say the Croydon case underlines broader governance challenges in managing household and commercial waste in large urban areas. They point to the need for consistent enforcement, licensing of waste carriers, public information about legitimate disposal options and resources to remove hazardous material safely.

The borough will elect a new mayor in May 2026. Candidates and parties contesting that poll will face questions from residents and business owners concerned about waste management, public safety and the financial capacity of the council to deliver services. For now, residents and enforcement firms say the pattern of large‑scale dumping, intermittent cleanups and limited prosecutions leaves streets, parks and playing fields vulnerable to repeated illegal disposal and potential environmental harm.