FLY-TIPPING soared by 30 per cent last year, with more than 4,000 incidents reported across the town, The Bolton News can reveal.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed that Bolton Council was contacted 4,368 times with reports of waste being fly-tipped — compared with the previous year’s total of 3,016.

Critics said the closure of smaller rubbish dumps across the borough contributed to the rise — while council bosses said improved awareness about reporting fly-tipping had led to the spike.

Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council’s cabinet member for the environment said: “We have upped our efforts in the past 12 months in terms of interfacing with the public and actively telling people to report any fly-tipping incidents to the council.

“We have told people not to simply ignore the problem and to make sure they tell someone and assume that someone else will — we have really stepped it up.”

Conservative councillor John Walsh said that while there may be some truth in the suggestion that increased awareness has led to more reported incidents — people are simply fly-tipping more often.

He said: “I think the truth is somewhere between the two and I do think people are becoming more rigorous about reporting fly-tipping.

“But I also think there is a sub-culture now of people who believe it is okay to leave waste lying around."

Cllr Walsh said the closure of smaller recycling facilities last year, including one in Blackrod, have led to people not wanting to travel further to get rid of their waste.

He added: “When it comes down to it, if you make it more difficult for people to recycle, then it is less likely that they will do it. That’s regrettable, but it is human nature.

“I think Bolton Council is culpable in this because they supported the closures of the centres, leaving a less robust waste control set-up.”

The Freedom of Information request also found that the number of people in Bolton who were prosecuted for fly-tipping fell by nearly half from 41 in 2012/13 to 22 last year.

Bolton Council said one reason for this reduction is because it now issues more fixed penalty notices in cases of back street waste tipping or minor fly-tipping.

A spokesman for the council said: “We have found that these can be as effective as a prosecution in stopping people from repeating the offence again in the future.

“We use a variety of methods to try to deter people from fly tipping and leaving back street waste, from education and working with people to ensure they know how to recycle, to enforcement.”