Calls for the Scottish Government to get tougher on people who dump their rubbish in public places

Just 51 fly-tipping cases were sent to prosecutors despite almost 300,000 incidents being reported since 2019-20.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have released figures obtained through freedom of information requests. The party wants ministers to introduce a restitution order so that offenders are made to contribute to the costs of clearing up the mess.

New fly-tipping rules, which were effective from Monday, could see on-the-spot fines of up to £500 - more than double the previous £200.

But Scottish Lib Dem communities spokesman Willie Rennie said the move is not enough.

It comes as figures showed that local authorities received 284,762 reports of illegal rubbish dumping since 2019-20.

However, 51 were referred to the procurator fiscal, while 3,317 fixed penalty notices were issued.

Glasgow City Council received the highest number, with 88,357 reports across the four-year period - but just 335 fines were issued.

And cases were only passed to the procurator fiscal in seven local authorities, with convictions obtained in just two - East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire.

Mr Rennie welcome the fine increase, but said Scottish Government ministers must now introduce a new rule ordering offenders to contribute to the clean-up, with the money then put towards a national fund to help farmers.

He said: "Fly-tippers are increasingly brazen. From back lanes to main roads, most communities across Scotland are blighted by other people's rubbish.

"It's ugly, dirty and smelly, yet only a tiny fraction of cases ever result in a fine or a trip to court.

"I am relieved that, after years of pressure from my party, the government has finally increased the level of fines available.

"However, there is still a fundamental unfairness in the system which leaves farmers and other owners with the responsibility for clearing up waste dumped on their properties.

"More needs to be done to clamp down on this disgusting behaviour and to ensure that repeat offenders feel the full force of the law.

"Alongside a robust fixed penalty system, Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see the introduction of a new restitution order, enabling the courts to require contributions from offenders to cleaning up their mess.

"These contributions could then go towards a national fund which would help support farmers and all those who bear the brunt of fly-tipping."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government is determined to tackle the serious environmental and economic impacts that fly-tipping causes which is why we published our Litter and Fly-tipping last year.

"The strategy includes an increase in the fixed penalty amounts for fly-tipping offences from £200 to £500, which came into effect on 1 January 2024, and improving support and providing funding to aid private landowners in deterring fly-tipping on their land.

"We would encourage relevant public authorities to investigate fly-tipping on public and private land."

Hear all the latest news from across Tayside, Perthshire and Angus on Tay FM. Listen on FM, via our Rayo app, DAB, or smart speaker.