Croydon Council Strengthens Environmental Enforcement with New Technology and Community Teams

Croydon Council is intensifying its fight against environmental crime with a suite of new enforcement measures, targeting a broader range of offences beyond just fly-tipping and littering. These initiatives, which include enhanced CCTV surveillance and a dedicated dump busters webpage, are designed to tackle unmanaged waste, and poor waste presentation, as well as household duty of care and trade waste compliance and highways enforcement activities. The council is also adopting a more holistic approach by collaborating with housing, estates, and licensing departments, and introducing mobile recycling centres.

Councillor Scott Roche, Cabinet Member for Streets & Environment, reiterated the administration's zero tolerance approach to environmental offences, highlighting their detrimental impact on residents' quality of life and the perceived safety and care of neighbourhoods.

Data presented by Charles Baker, Head of Environment Services and Sustainable Neighbourhoods, revealed that in February 2026, over 6,400 reports were received via the Love Clean Streets app. After exclusions for duplicates and private land, approximately 5,400 incidents remained, with 87% cleared within the service level agreement. Fly-tipping hotspots were identified in areas including Bench Manor, Thornton Heath, and West Thornton. The council is using this data to direct our crews in the most efficient manner to these problem areas.

Enforcement activity has seen a significant increase, with over 310 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued between April 2025 and February 2026. Of these, 37% of all FPNs have been paid, while 29% remain in progress, evidencing robust follow-up and deterrence effectiveness. The council's strategy for addressing non-compliance involves a reminder stage to the prosecution stage and pursuing court action for unpaid penalties. To further aid enforcement, the council is transitioning to a digital FPN system that incorporates photographic evidence of the waste.

CCTV deployment has been expanded, with 19 cameras now operational on housing estates to combat fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. An additional five mobile deployable cameras are in use at hotspot locations, with five more being procured. These cameras are intended to enhance the ability to identify offenders through ANPR recognition or intelligence-led targeting in areas where evidence is scarce. However, a limitation exists for fly-tips involving items like mattresses or furniture, as such waste often lacks inherent intelligence to identify the perpetrator. The council is also exploring the use of CCTV footage from private residents and businesses.

Targeted CCTV deployment is also being utilized in identified fly-tipping hotspots such as Bench Manor, Thornton Heath, and West Thornton. Furthermore, the council is developing a dump busters webpage to publicise ongoing investigations and seek public assistance.

The success of these new initiatives will be measured by increasing visible enforcement, improving intelligence led targeting of resources and strengthening deterrence against environmental crime. The council aims to deliver sustained improvements in environmental standards and public confidence, with specific metrics including FPN issuance rates, fly-tip clearance times, and reductions in incidents in targeted areas. The broken window effect strategy underpins these efforts, aiming to address issues like fly-tipping, unmanaged waste, and littering to ultimately enhance residents' quality of life and their sense of neighbourhood safety and care. ¹