THERE is almost ten times more fly-tipping in some Croydon wards than five years ago, new figures show.
Fairfield has had the sharpest rise with a 970 per cent increase, followed by Woodside with 800 per cent and then Waddon with 700 per cent.
Thornton Heath has the smallest rise yet remains the worst ward for fly-tipping with 1,468 incidents last year, closely followed by Woodside with 1,263 and West Thornton with 1,114.
Overall, there is almost four times more fly-tipping now than five years ago across the whole of Croydon. In a report last year, the council claimed it had only increased 26 per cent between 2011/12 and 2012/13.
But new figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show fly-tipping actually increased by 250 per cent during that period.
A council spokesman said the rise was "partly down to simple laziness on the part of a minority of people" who leave out "many small items and bags" on pavements.
But he added "the increasing cost of landfill" was also to blame, especially because the "use of legitimate clearance firms who have to pay these fees can sometimes be expensive".
He said Croydon was not alone and, "like most parts of London and the UK, has seen an increase in fly-tipping over recent years".
Between April 2013 and 2014, there were 12,868 incidents of fly-tipping but only 25 prosecutions are currently in progress. The council issued 243 fines and bought 12 new cameras while upgrading 13 existing ones.
There was only one successful prosecution in 2013 when a Battersea resident, Iesha Price, piled her rubbish at Reeves Corner and was fined £535.
Thornton Heath residents gave vent to their frustration with one, Alison Smith, 70, of Pitts Road, labelling her area the "rubbish dump of England".
"Everyone clearly just thinks 'let's go and dump our rubbish in Croydon, everyone else does and no one gets caught'," she said.
"It never used to be like this and now it's a horrible area to live in.
"I saw some council men the other day and told them there were names and addresses in the piles of rubbish; all they needed to do was trace a few people. They said it was far too expensive and much easier for them to just keep clearing the rubbish away."
Jane Hobbs, 64, of Bensham Manor Road, said her flats had an area for their rubbish which people just "dumped their old mattresses in".
"I know cameras are expensive but if they could just put them up for a bit to catch a few people then it might help," she said.
The council spokesman said: "We are investing heavily in both prevention and enforcement initiatives.
"People need to take responsibility for the waste they create and if they are lazy or try to avoid the charges for disposal by fly-tipping they can expect a hefty fine."
WARD BY WARD BREAKDOWNFigures show instances for 2013- to-date, 2009/10, and the % increase Addiscombe 818 183 440% Ashburton 458 111 410% Bensham Manor 891 416 210% Broad Green 733 236 310% Coulsdon East 105 31 340% Coulsdon West 188 39 480% Croham 242 45 530% Fairfield 417 43 970% Fieldway 737 78 560% Heathfield 140 51 270% Kenley 187 48 390% New Addington 68 28 230% Norbury 815 198 410% Purley 192 61 310% Sanderstead 91 23 390% Selhurst 918 407 250% Selsdon & Ballards 74 12 610% Shirley 141 29 490% South Norwood 900 196 460% Thornton Heath 1,468 846 170% Upper Norwood 590 151 390% Waddon 592 85 700% West Thornton 1,114 274 400% Woodside 1,263 158 800%
