Fly tipping has increased in St Albans District over the past year, councillors have been told.

St Albans City and District Council is having to spend extra money to remove some of the illegally dumped rubbish.

Small fly tips are dealt with by a contractor as part of the street cleansing component of its Council contract, but larger fly tip removal resulted in additional costs to the budget of £40,000 in 2014/15.

The problem has soared nationally with fly-tipping incidents rising 20% across England in 2013/14.

In the St Albans District, 863 fly tips were cleared by the contractor in the year to May 2015.

The Council’s Local Services Scrutiny Committee was briefed about the growing problem at a meeting on Thursday 3 September.

Both the contractor and private land owners such as farmers have complained of a surge in fly tipping.

Rural roads, particularly the area around Potters Crouch to the west of St Albans, have been the worst hit.

There has also been an increase in household rubbish and electronic goods, such as fridges, being dumped in residential areas.

The Committee heard a number of measures are being undertaken by the Council to deter fly-tippers.

Council officers are working with the police to organise further enforcement days, following the success of last year’s Operation Brunch.

This involves carrying out random checks on trucks in a targeted area to see if they are carrying waste without a proper licence.

During Operation Brunch, 85 vehicles were stopped near the Hertfordshire Showground over a four-week period and checked. A number of warnings were issued.

Each fly tip will continue to be investigated for evidence to use in possible actions including prosecution. There will also be further use of cameras at fly-tipping hotspots to try and catch offenders red-handed.

The Council is also committed to sharing intelligence about the problem with other councils in the county as well as community groups.

Councillor Anthony Rowlands, chair of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee of St Albans City and District Council, said: “Fly-tipping is a growing problem and a blight on the area. It also costs the Council money.

“The Council needs to continue to work with other agencies such as the police to prosecute offenders and deter people from illegally dumping rubbish. We need to examine all the ways we can do this.

“The Committee agreed to ask a small group of councillors to undertake a swift investigation of all the issues involved and make recommendations on what other action can be taken.”