Residents say estate is used as a dumping ground

People living on a city housing estate say their neighbourhood is being used as a dumping ground by rogue traders avoiding paying to get rid of waste.

"It's very easy for a van or a lorry to pull in, unnoticed, dump their stuff and get out," said Rebecca Fairclough, who leads a litter-picking group in Mile Cross, Norwich.

Chrissie Rumsby, the Labour county councillor for the ward, said there had been an increase in trade waste from "kitchens, bathrooms and everything else" being left on the housing estate.

Norwich City Council said it was taking action against fly-tipping while Norfolk County Council urged people "to use licensed waste carriers or recycling centres".

Fly-tipping has been a growing problem in Norwich, with 6,927 cases logged in the 12 months to April 2025 – a figure the city council said was "an all-time high".

Mrs Fairclough, 44, said a number of "hotspots" were regularly used for fly-tipping and she believed that, in many cases, rogue traders were dumping waste overnight.

"There's no CCTV, there's no lighting as such," she said.

"Who is coming into our estate to do this, to dump this under the cover of night? It's scary sometimes."

The mother of two formed the Mile Cross Litterbusters after getting tired of finding "broken glass and dog poo" while teaching her daughter to ride a bike.

She said she believed the county council's increase in charges for disposal of trade waste was leading to people turning to traders who offered lower prices – but who were not afraid to break the law.

She does not like seeing where she has spent most of her life being used as a dump, and said: "It gets me down. There's no need for it, really."

Rumsby, the Mile Cross councillor, said: "People are a bit jarred off with it, really, because it makes their area look a mess.

"We've had kitchens, bathrooms and everything else out here so we know it's trade – and they come in late at night when people can't see the number plates."

Norwich's high number of fly-tipping cases reflects an increase nationally.

According to the most recent government figures, there were 1.15 million incidents across England in 2023/24 – up 6% on the year before.

Emma Hampton, deputy leader of the Labour-run city council, said the authority had installed CCTV at hotspots and had employed a "dedicated enforcement officer", while dealing with 95% of reported incidents within 24 hours.

"Alongside enforcement, we're working with local businesses in problem areas to educate them on their responsibilities for waste disposal," she added.

A spokesman for the Conservative-controlled county council urged residents and businesses to use licensed waste carriers or recycling centres.

"The county council has invested in modern facilities at Norwich North and South to make legal waste disposal easy and accessible," they said.

"We will continue working with the Norfolk Waste Partnership and local councils to promote responsible waste management and support enforcement against offenders."

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