THE number of fines issued to fly-tippers who leave furniture and industrial waste strewn over streets and parks have soared.

Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) has rocketed up the national rankings for action on the unsightly blight and came fifth in a league table for fines issued in the year to May 2017.

BHCC handed out the most fines outside London, according to Press Association figures.

According to the council’s figures, between April and October of this year, 397 fines have been handed out.

In the whole of last financial year there were just 196.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the city’s environment committee, said: “Residents are fed up with people simply dumping things on the street, around existing bins or on our open spaces, creating eyesores and leaving it up to the council to clear up and taxpayers to pay for it.

“On average we get about 160 flytips reported to us each month, not including those identified and cleared by our streets teams. The message is that those responsible will be fined and in extreme cases prosecuted.”

It comes after a concerted effort by the council to focus on the problem of dirty streets.

Staff have put ‘environmental crime’ tape round flytips and installed CCTV at known flytip hotspots which has lead to an increase in reported flytips.

In February of last year, the council called on private firm 3GS to crack down on littering. The firm is not paid but keeps two-thirds of fines issued.

BHCC came in for criticism when after six months it emerged it had issued 480 £75 fines to smokers, but only 21 fines for fly-tipping. But the council insisted it would be using income from fines to crack down on fly-tipping.

Since March 2016 more than 5,000 fixed penalty notices were issued, with 594 for flytipping and 346 where businesses were using council owned bins to illegally dispose of waste.

The Argus has covered the trials and fines of the most serious offenders through the year.

One of the biggest fines was handed down to businessman Daniel Brennan, of St Cuthmans Close, Brighton. He had pleaded guilty to being responsible for the dumping of tonnes of illegal rubbish.

Mr Brennan traded as Sussex House and Rubbish Clearance and collected bulky items from households, pubs and building sites. But instead of disposing of the waste properly, environment enforcement officers discovered he had ditched many of the items in Whitehawk Road and in nearby Wilson Avenue.

Brennan pleaded guilty earlier this month, claiming his business partner disposed of the 5.7 tonnes of rubbish without his knowledge. He admitted six offences and was ordered to pay a total of £3,943.52.

It is an offence to leave bulky items in the street and the council can impose a maximum fine of £300 or could choose to prosecute through the courts.

To book unwanted household goods in for collection, or to see the fees for doing so, go to brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/environment/recycling-rubbish-and-street-cleaning.