ONLY two fines were issued by Cheshire East Council for fly-tipping last year, it has been revealed.

A Freedom of Information request to the council showed that in 2019/20 two fines were issued, but only one was paid. In contrast, 1,129 fines were handed out for littering, with 774 being paid.

The value of the fly tipping fines came to £400, whereas £90,320 of littering penalties were issued.

Fly-tipping has been a major problem in areas of Crewe with Myrtle Street, Alban Street and Oxford Street highlighted by the town council's Streetscene team.

Officers say abandoned bins have attracted dumping and bed frames, carpets, food waste and sharps have been left in alleyways and the streets.

Improvements have been made thanks to a yellow card system where householders ignoring warnings are told further action will be taken.

A meeting of Crewe Town Council's improvement and operations committee was told earlier in the summer that residents had "given up complaining" to Cheshire East Council because enforcement action appeared slow off the mark.

Elsewhere in Cheshire East there doesn't appear to be the same problem, but Middlewich councillor Jonathan Parry said the issue isn't helped by a lack of reporting.

"I think we're one of the better towns for it. At the end of the day, it is about reporting it. It does get dealt with once it has been reported," he said.

"There is no easy solution to getting it stopped. I would encourage the public to report any scene of fly-tipping whatsoever. If the council sees it is a problem area, they can monitor it."

The data also shows that 57 fines were issued for dog fouling in the same period, worth £4,240, but only 39 were paid.

In the four months data was available for the 2020/21 municipal year, the authority issued 53 littering notices, four dog fouling penalties, and no fly-tipping fines.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner says he's yet to see evidence of a major fly-tipping issue in his ward in Knutsford: "I am aware that there are occasions of littering, but I am not aware of fly-tipping being a problem in Knutsford."

But the Conservative councillor added that he had heard of a "significant problem in other parts of the borough, in particular Crewe".