Fly-tipping in Ealing has risen by more than 50% in a year, placing the borough among the worst affected in London and across England.
Figures based on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) data show 25,394 fly-tipping incidents were recorded across Ealing in 2024/25, up from 16,828 the previous year — a 50.9% increase. The borough ranks sixth in London and seventh out of 294 local authorities in England.
Compared with neighbouring boroughs, Labour-run Ealing recorded significantly higher levels. Brent reported 16,338 incidents, Harrow 13,925, Hillingdon 9,846 and Hammersmith & Fulham 8,087. While Ealing’s figures rose sharply, some neighbours saw declines, including Brent (–39.5%) and Hammersmith & Fulham (–31.9%).
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “We understand residents’ and business concerns around fly-tipping and we are cracking down on this criminal activity.
“Fly-tipping is a drain on council funds which would be better spent on services for residents and has a direct impact on the environment and quality of life. As a result we launched an awareness campaign in May: ‘This is our home, not a tip’ which explains to our communities what fly-tipping is, its impact and how everyone can help by disposing of waste correctly.
“The higher reporting of fly-tipping in the borough of Ealing is partly due to the success of our campaign which has significantly increased residents and businesses being more proactive and rigorous in reporting fly-tipping to us, as well as our increased use of CCTV to capture incidents. Our use of social media has also had more than 8 million impressions since it launched.
“We have more than doubled fly-tipping fines from £400 to £1,000 since May to send a clear message — illegal waste dumping will not be tolerated.
“We are pleased to see a significant increase in fines being issued, rising from 161 in May 2025 to 469 in March 2026 — a 191% increase — showing our efforts to catch offenders.”
Separate data from the FixMyStreet platform presents a different picture, with Ealing ranked 75th overall in the UK and 15th in London, with 671 fly-tipping reports out of 3,318 total reports (20.2%) submitted via the site.
The analysis, by HIPPO Waste, notes that Ealing’s Defra figures are based on publicly reported incidents only, meaning the true total could be higher.
Gareth Lloyd Jones, Managing Director at HIPPO Waste, told EALING.NEWS: “A jump of over 50% in a year is significant, and it suggests the issue is becoming more visible at street level. When increases happen this quickly, it’s often a mix of changing behaviour and pressure on local services rather than a one-off spike.”
He added: “What stands out with Ealing is that it ranks highly despite only capturing publicly reported incidents. That points to a broader underlying problem and suggests fly-tipping is becoming a more regular part of day-to-day reporting in the borough.”
FixMyStreet is one of the platforms residents use to report issues, but it is not currently linked to the council’s systems.
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “We do not use the FixMyStreet app as we do not have integrated solutions with it. We have various approved channels such as the Love Clean Streets app and websites that we use as they are integrated with our customer relationship management (CRM) software. Love Clean Streets is the quickest way to report a problem and reports go straight into our customer management system.
“We would be happy to talk to Fix my Street and see if integrationwith our CRM is feasible.”
Residents are asked to report fly-tipping either through the Love Clean Streets app or on the council website.
