FARMERS and landowners are being urged to sign a petition calling for tougher penalties for fly-tippers who dump rubbish in the countryside.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the North backed a Christmas crackdown on fly-tipping by the region’s councils, but wants them to continue the zero-tolerance approach throughout 2017.

The Local Government Association said councils would issue fixed penalty notices of up to £400 and seize and destroy vehicles used by offenders as part of their "pre-Christmas, zero-tolerance" initiative.

The cost of clearing up fly-tipping in England has reached £50 million, with councils dealing with almost 900,000 incidents every 12 months. A further £18 million is spent annually on enforcement actions.

Recent incidents have included old processed waste wrapped in 80 black plastic bales dumped on land in Sadberge, near Darlington. A similar method was used to stack bale bags on farmland in the Bishop Auckland area.

Dorothy Fairburn, CLA Director North, said: "We receive regular reports from our members of fly tipping, particularly when their land is located on the fringes of urban areas.

"The waste involved is not just the occasional bin bag, but large household items, from unwanted sofas to broken washing machines, and building materials – even hazardous waste.

"The estimated average cost to rural businesses of this anti-social behaviour is £800 per incident and is a continuing and damaging blight on our countryside. In addition, landowners are liable for any waste that is fly-tipped on their land and can be prosecuted if they do not clear it away, often at considerable cost to their business."

New government regulations allow councils to issue fixed penalty notices or fines of up to £400 for small scale fly-tipping, but Miss Fairburn said this was not enough.

"We support the LGA’s call for a speedier and more effective legal system to deal with offenders more robustly, and urge councils to exercise their powers in prosecuting fly tippers.

"The maximum fine is £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court, but this is never enforced. If it was, it might deter fly-tippers. Frequently, it costs more to bring an offender to court than the penalty actually imposed."

She called for the zero-tolerance crack down to continue throughout 2017. "This will not only ease the pressure on the public purse, but also on demoralised farmers and landowners who are simply fed up with clearing up somebody else’s waste at their own expense."

The CLA has urged farmers and landowners to sign a petition calling for tougher penalties for fly-tippers.

Fly tipping can be reported to local councils via https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping or confidentially and anonymously to Crimestoppers, by visiting Crimestoppers or phoning 0800 555 111.