Among the councils that have brought in booking slots for their rubbish dumps since the pandemic is Kent, which last year voted to make the changes permanent. 

This was despite strident local opposition, with one councillor arguing the issue had become “more divisive than Brexit”. 

Craig Mackinlay, South Thanet MP, called for the decision to be reversed. 

“These outdoor sites present no risk and doubt ever did,” he said. 

Defending the decision to extend the scheme, the council said it had brought “environmental, operational and communication benefits”. 

DIY waste charges scrapped

Under the Government’s latest plans, households will also no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste including plasterboards, bricks and bath units, which it argued were being unfairly classed as construction waste. 

The move could save households around £10 a year and help stop around 60,000 annual fly-tipping incidents with construction, demolition and excavation material. 

The Local Government Association argued that getting rid of the payments for collecting household DIY waste would put a strain on council resources and could be abused by builders dumping their waste. 

Councillor David Renard, environment spokesman, said: “Some councils have had to introduce charges for this waste due to the rising costs of providing the service and the financial pressure they are under.

“Money raised from charges goes back into services so councils can continue to offer disposal facilities for these materials to residents, who would otherwise find them difficult to get rid of and will ensure that the system is not abused by those seeking to dispose of trade waste for free.”

Under the plans, the Government will also provide £450,000 in grants to 10 councils to measures to tackle fly-tipping, including CCTV and artificial intelligence. 

Private landowners bear cost of dumped waste

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) welcomed the move, but said not enough was being done to help private landowners, who have to bear the cost of any waste dumped on their land. 

Mark Tufnell, president of the CLA, said. “One CLA member, who is a regular victim, is having to pay £50,000 each year to clear waste dumped on their land.”

Jacob Hayler, executive director of the Environmental Services Association, said: “There is no single ‘silver bullet’ to tackle the scourge of fly-tipping, so we are pleased to see the Government announcing a range of new measures to help deter this deeply anti-social criminal behaviour.

“Of particular importance is stopping this material from falling into the hands of organised waste criminals, leading to larger scale fly-tipping.”