Northumberland County Council's cabinet has greenlit new measures in a bid to curb fly-tipping.

Fixed Penalty Notices for fly-tipping offences are set to leap from £400 to the statutory maximum of £1,000.

Penalties for household waste duty of care will also ascend from £400 to £600, which can be reduced to £450 if paid within 10 days.

The council is aiming to decrease fly-tipping incidents by 20 per cent by March 2026.

Last year, the county recorded a 4,429 instances of fly-tipping.

An upcoming publicity campaign will underline the personal risks to offenders and further spotlight the illicit nature of fly-tipping.

Promising to publicly name those they successfully prosecute, the council plans to place temporary crime scene tape, stickers, and notices at fly-tipping sites.

Increased CCTV coverage and targeting dumping hotspots in Blyth and Ashington is also part of the plan.

Colin Horncastle, Northumberland County Councillor and cabinet member for looking after our environment, said: "Figures are going down but not enough, so it is time to get tougher.

"We hope these new measures will deliver a significant and rapid reduction in fly-tipping incidents.

"We want to hit the perpetrators where it hurts most – in their pocket.

"We want them to pay for their crimes – not us."