CARLISLE faced a record level of fly-tipping last year, figures reveal.

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy said the high level of fly-tipping seen across England is a 'tragedy' to the environment and to communities.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures reveal there were 1,696 fly-tipping incidents in the year to March 2022, up from 1,594 the year before and the highest figure since records began in 2012/13.

A significant amount of fly-tipping in the area last year was discovered on highways (53 per cent) and on back alleyways (17 per cent).

Of the discarded waste, the largest proportion was household waste at 48 per cent, followed by household black bin bags at 27 per cent.

The data also shows £6,250 was paid by councils for removing large incidents of fly-tipping in Carlisle.

Across England, 1.09 million fly-tipping incidents were recorded in 2021/22, a decrease of 4 per cent from the 1.14 million reported in 2020/21.

The cost of clearance to local authorities was £10.7 million last year.