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Hartlepool Borough Council bosses highlighted the work of the multi-agency working group set up specifically to help tackle fly-tipping for contributing towards the decrease.

Figures showed between January and March this year 476 incidents were reported, a 37% drop compared to the same period in 2021, when 758 cases were recorded.

From October to December 2021, 363 cases were recorded, a 40% drop on the 609 incidents in 2020.

Fly-tipping items left at Hartlepool's Oakesway Industrial Estate during the first national lockdown.

The latest meeting of the council audit and governance committee on Thursday, August 11, heard the figures reflect the positive working taking place in regard to reducing fly-tipping in recent years.

Sylvia Pinkney, council assistant director for regulatory services, said: “We did look at our figures overall for the last three years and they are showing a general decline in relation to fly-tipping notifications.

“While we did have an increase in July time 2020, that was very much put down to lockdown, and since then the figures have in a general trend been in a downward direction, so that is pleasing.”

She stressed reporting mechanisms for logging fly-tipping complaints have remained the same, meaning this will not have contributed to the drop in incident numbers.

A previous example of fly-tipped waste in Lime Crescent, Hartlepool.

The meeting also heard examples of how the multi-agency working group set up in relation to fly-tipping is helping to tackle incidents.

Ms Pinkney added: “They are doing a series of activities in relation to things like social media campaigns which have been taking place recently.

“But they have also been jointly working in relation to how they tackle persistent hot spot locations to try to take steps to prevent fly-tipping in those locations.”

Councillor Rob Cook, chair of the audit and governance committee, said he was pleased to hear of the trend of decreasing incidents, amid complaints from residents incidents are supposedly on the rise.

He said: “A comment that has been made by members of the public, our constituents, time after time is about how inadequate our local tip procedure rules are in regards to booking online etc, and that fly-tipping has been on the increase dramatically.”

He added: “This is something that we need to get out there to people to let them know that fly-tipping is actually on the decrease, we need to get that message out.”

Residents can report fly-tipping at http://hartlepool.gov.uk/fly-tipping or by calling (01429) 523333.

Fly-tipping reports decline in Hartlepool - but is it a true reflection?

He added: “This is something that we need to get out there to people to let them know that fly-tipping is actually on the decrease, we need to get that message out.”