THE cost of clearing up illegally dumped rubbish in Wiltshire has rocketed by almost 75 per cent over the past two years, new figures reveal.

An investigation by the Press Association found 2,218 recorded fly tipping incidents in the county last year – up by 700 (46 per cent) from 2012/13.

The cost to Wiltshire Council has soared from £159,000 two years ago to £278,000 in 2014/15.

The council says the increase is down to better detection, with more people using the My Wiltshire phone app to report fly tipping.

And the number of successful prosecutions has more than doubled, with 35 people facing fines of up to £5,000 last year compared to just six in Swindon, which has a similar population size.

There were also 60 fixed penalty notices and 227 statutory notices.

Cllr Toby Sturgis, cabinet member for waste, blamed the fly tipping on commercial activity and said there was almost no extra increase since dump opening hours were cut.

Data for July 2015 shows 185 incidents of fly tipping, only one more than in the same month last year.

He said: “We want to get the message out there that Wiltshire Council will prosecute people who fly tip wherever possible.

“I can only speak for my area, but it is commercial white van waste. But we can look though the rubbish and track the people who are doing this.”

He also said problems of queueing at the dumps should ease as people adjust to the changes, but said the council was constantly reviewing the situation.

The My Wiltshire app is available at Google Play and iTunes.