The number of fly-tipping incidents in Neath Port Talbot (NPT) rose by almost a third during the pandemic.

NPT Council received 1,404 reports of fly-tipping in 2019/20 and 1,849 in 2020/21, which marks an increase of 32 per cent.

The local authority said the number of reports increased due to recycling centres being closed in line with coronavirus restrictions.

Despite the increase in reports, there were fewer prosecutions for fly-tipping offences in 2020/21.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council revealed that in 2019/20, 16 people were prosecuted for the illegal disposal of waste while 17 received a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for the same offence.  In 2020/21, 7 people were prosecuted for the illegal depositing of waste and six people received FPNs for similar offences.

A spokesperson for the council said: “In common with authorities across Wales… household waste recycling centres were closed as part of Welsh Government guidelines for a long period”.

They added: “We had fewer prosecutions during the pandemic because we weren’t able to interview potential offenders due to the Covid restrictions and investigations were fewer as many staff were redeployed.”

In May, local residents and politicians said urban streets in Port Talbot and Aberavon have been plagued with fly-tipping and rats for years.

In October 2020, the Welsh Government organised a two-day clean-up of an unofficial tip in Briton Ferry after it was littered with fridges, sofas, kitchen sinks. Three months earlier, a man was ordered to pay costs and fines over £1,100 for dumping a paddling pool, toys and a TV in a lay-by in Resolven.  

NPT Council recorded 67 prosecutions for fly-tipping in 2018/19. This total was partly attributed to a backlog of cases but the authority has often been responsible for the most cases compared with other Welsh councils in recent years.

An NPT Council spokesperson said the authority urges residents to report fly-tipping and has been Wales’ “number one authority” for successful prosecutions over the last 15 years.

According to a council spokesperson, household waste recycling centres re-opened once restrictions were lifted and a new booking system and “Covid-secure operating arrangements” have led to “very positive feedback” from users. There were 501 incidents of fly-tipping in the first quarter for 2020/21 and 342 incidents in the same period for 2021/22.