Fly-tipping has become one of those everyday problems that slowly chips away at people’s pride in their communities. Whether it’s in back lanes or out in the countryside, seeing rubbish dumped like that is frustrating, and it’s something people are understandably fed up with.

In Parliament, Conservatives have been pushing for tougher action through changes to the Crime and Policing Bill. One idea is to introduce penalty points on the driving licences of people caught fly-tipping or littering from vehicles. It’s a straightforward approach: if people risk losing their licence, they might think twice before dumping waste.

Labour initially voted against these proposals. But after months of campaigning and hearing from people across the country, especially in rural and semi-rural areas like ours, they’ve started to shift their position.

The Government has now said it will consult on introducing licence penalty points for fly-tipping, which is a positive step and shows this issue is finally being taken more seriously.

We also proposed giving police stronger powers to seize vehicles used in fly-tipping. While the Government hasn’t fully adopted this, it has updated guidance so local authorities can seize and crush vehicles involved in illegal dumping. That’s welcome, but it still doesn’t go far enough. Police forces like Surrey and Hampshire need clearer, stronger powers to really tackle the problem.

Across our area – from Farnham and Bordon to Haslemere, Liphook, and our surrounding villages – the impact of fly-tipping is obvious. It damages our environment, creates health risks, and leaves taxpayers to cover the cost of clearing it up. As a result, people justifiably want to see action. That’s why I, along with other local Conservative representatives, have been raising this with our Police and Crime Commissioners, and I’m now pleased to see progress at a national level.

The Government’s change of approach suggests there is growing agreement that stronger deterrents are needed. Whether these measures will be enough remains to be seen, but it’s clear things are moving in the right direction.

Now the focus has to be on delivering results. Councils, enforcement officers, and police need the tools – and the conviction – to act. People should expect cleaner streets, safer spaces, and a real drop in illegal dumping.

Fly-tipping might seem like a minor offence, but its impact is anything but. Tackling it properly would make a real difference to the places we live.