Dartford Fly-Tipping: 2,583 in a Year, and the Worst Streets

Dartford Borough Council’s waste service recorded 2,583 fly-tips in the 12 months to 31 July 2026. That is about 215 a month.

The two worst streets had 39 each: Green Street Green Road in Darenth and Knights Manor Way in Dartford.

The figures come from the council’s environmental enforcement update, which went to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 8 September. Its appendix lists every street where a fly-tip was recorded and cleared, including repeat dumping at the same spot.

The streets with the most fly-tips

The list names more than 500 streets. The council notes that the figures come from its waste contractor, FCC, and “may include some areas on the list which fall outside of DBC”. It includes 65 in Bexley, for example.

By area

The council groups the records by area. The largest totals were:

• Dartford: 1,433
• Darenth: 209
• Swanscombe: 201
• Stone: 133
• Greenhithe: 116
• Wilmington: 101

Councillors asked at last year’s meeting for the figures by ward. The report says that data could not be sourced, so the old area format was used again.

Compared with last year

The same report to the same committee in September 2025 counted 1,692 fly-tips. That covered only ten months, from 1 October 2024 to 1 August 2025, so the totals are not directly comparable.

Taken as a monthly average, the number rose from about 169 a month to about 215. That is an increase of roughly a quarter.

Some streets changed far more than that. The figures below compare the ten-month period with the latest 12 months:

• Knights Manor Way: 7, then 39
• St Albans Road: 5, then 25
• Green Street Green Road: 7, then 39
• Fulwich Road: 14, then 32
• Cotton Lane, Stone: 17, then 32
• Priory Hill: 29, then 29

Bob Dunn Way and Baker Crescent did not appear in last year’s list at all.

Who gets fined, and who pays

The council’s enforcement team investigated 278 cases in the year. It recorded a “positive outcome” in 235 of them, which can mean anything from a warning to a court summons.

Day-to-day patrols are contracted to Kingdom Local Authority Support. Its officers issued 2,089 fixed penalty notices for environmental offences. The report says these “brought about fines totalling some £97,700”.

For fly-tipping itself, the fine is £500. Of the 158 fly-tipping notices Kingdom issued:

• 30 had been paid
• 77 were still outstanding
• 51 had been written off or cancelled

Litter notices were the most common. Kingdom issued 450 listed as “other litter” and 429 for dropped cigarettes.

Kingdom keeps 85% of the money from paid notices and the council 15%. The report says the split moved back to that level after the national living wage rise. Its contract runs until 24 January 2027 and is under review.

The cameras at the recycling sites

The council bought four “Waste Watch” AI cameras in May 2025. They watch the recycling sites at Hawley Road, Birchwood Road and New Barn Road, and Joyce Green Lane.

Since they were put in place, the cameras have led to 228 fines. Of those, 155 were paid and six cases went to court. Hawley Road accounts for 118 of the fines.

What it means for you

If a fly-tip appears in your street, report it on the council’s fly-tipping page. There are three exceptions:

• Private land: the landowner has to clear it, not the council
• A council housing bin store: contact the council’s Housing Services
• Blocking the road: report it to Kent County Council

If you pay someone to take rubbish away, check they hold a waste carrier licence. Householders have a legal duty of care for their own waste, and the council fines people who break it. It says it hopes to send duty of care leaflets out with the annual bin information in November.

For furniture and larger items, the council runs a bulky waste collection. Our Dartford bin collection guide explains how to book it.