Michael Ellis, the Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Northampton North has slammed Labour figures that show local flytipping is on the increase.

Labour's Minister for Waste Joan Ruddock has this week urged local authorities to improve performance in tackling fly-tipping as she published new figures showing that an increasing number of fly-tipping incidents are being reported.

In Northamptonshire there were 11,132 incidents of fly-tipping reported at an estimated cost of over £800,000. Despite all of this the Labour Government plans to impose Euro-style taxes for the collection of household waste on top of council tax.

Mr Ellis had already warned in August of a massive surge in fly-tipping if this stealth tax comes into force. Bin taxes have already been introduced in the Republic of Ireland where they have caused a surge in fly-tipping as families who do not or cannot pay the bin taxes have their rubbish collections stopped.

The Keep Britain Tidy campaign has also warned that bin taxes will lead to “people simply dumping their garbage illegally in a bid to avoid paying up.”

Speaking today, Michael Ellis said: “The Labour government needs to stop talking rubbish and actually do something about this. The Minister for Waste quietly releases these appalling statistics on how fly-tipping has increased under Labour and yet they propose stealth taxes on bin collections that has been proven in other areas to make fly-tipping even worse- and with the odds of being punished for it in Northamptonshire at only 0.05% no wonder Labour are sweeping this news under the carpet".

"It is this Labour policy that should be properly disposed of.”

10th October 2007