A FRUSTRATED farmer says reporting flytipping on agricultural land to councils is “futile”.

Statistics from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have revealed 408 flytipping incidents took place on farm land this year in the East of England.

This is a six per cent increase from the 368 incidents the previous year.

The figures revealed there were 718 flytipping incidents reported in Tendring last year, but no reports of flytipping on agricultural land in the district.

In Colchester, there were 2,056 reported cases of flytipping last year, but also none reported on farm land.

But a farmer from the Tendring area, who asked not to be named, warned these figures do not reflect the full scale of the problem.

He said that most cases on private land go unreported with the victims left to pay the clean-up bill.

He said he has “given up” reporting flytipping to Tendring Council.

He said: “I have had a couple of incidents of flytipping and both times flytipping has occurred in the gateway to the farm.

“Tendring Council has a waste service, but it was unable to help as the flytipping was just off the road.”

One of the incidents involved bathroom items being dumped on his land about three weeks ago.

He added: “In both cases, the council could not help as the rubbish was not on a public highway.

“It’s just ridiculous.”

Viv Vivers, from the Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers, said farmers are already faced with difficulties, from economic uncertainty to market volatility, and that having to fork out to deal with someone else’s mess just compounds these stresses.

She added: “Councils spend millions every year on clean-up costs, but private land owners, such as farmers, are suffering in silence with little or no assistance or recourse.

“The burden of dumped rubbish falling squarely with farmers as they are liable for clearing it up at their own expense, or face prosecution.

“Moving the mess on to public land will not solve the issue, but exacerbate it, which farmers need to be mindful of.”

Flytipping can include asbestos and chemical waste, which are dangerous to human health.

A spokesman for Tendring Council said the authority is not responsible for waste dumped on private land.