FLY-TIPPING is worse in Southampton than in any other part of the South East according to shocking new statistics.

Although the number of reported incidents in the South East dropped by more than 4,800 in the last year, Southampton still remains top of the list of the 67 councils in the South East for fly-tipping.

There were 8,708 incidents in the last year compared with 13.569 the previous year.

The information comes from newly compiled and published data by the Department Energy, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Arthur Jeffery, chairman of the Southampton Commons and Parks Protection Society, praised the good work of the council and urged people not to dump litter in open areas.

“It is still unacceptable in our society,” he said. “As a citizen of Southampton I'm concerned but it is an improvement. I would like to see that everyone's taking the extra effort to dispose of rubbish properly.”

At number nine in the list is Test Valley Borough Council with an increase in incidents of fly-tipping - from 1,486 to 1,881, (419).

New Forest District Council has seen a small increase in the number of incidents from 892 to 981 (89) and lies 17th in the table.

It is ahead of Winchester City Council which lies 19th in the table with a decrease of 70 incidents and 912 in the last year.

Eastleigh , Fareham and Gosport borough councils have also dropped the number of cases they have had with only Isle of Wight Council getting an increase but nevertheless propping up the table.

He also said authorities need to target fly-tipping to improve their policing of the problem - out of 820,000 incidents last year there were only 2,500 prosecutions throughout England and Wales.

A spokesman for Southampton City Council said: “Not all councils necessarily record small amounts of discarded as flytipping but even a bin bag of rubbish is recorded as flytipping by Southampton City Council.”