Illegal rubbish disposal in the borough is costing the taxpayer more than £3m a year.

Newham spends more than any other local authority in England on cleaning up after fly tippers, a government study published early today reveals.

The council parted with nearly £3.5m on cleaning up 200 tips daily between 2014-15, a significant share of the more than £25m spent in London.

But Newham Council suggested its position in the table was down to a “proactive approach” to street cleansing involving “in-cab” technology.

“Fly tipping is a challenge for every local authority,” said a spokesman for the council.

“In Newham we strive to ensure our streets are clean and safe for residents as well as visitors to the borough so we take a pro-active approach to street cleansing.

“The state-of-the-art in-cab technology used by Newham Council provides an accurate picture of the waste dumped on the borough’s streets. The ease of recording, combined with multiple street cleansing rounds carried out daily, seven days a week, results in a high level of fly tips recorded.”

The spokesman added that officers carried out education visits to businesses and residents about waste disposal, as well as “taking robust enforecment against those who flout the law”.

Last year, nearly 2,000 fixed penalty notices were issued and 318 prosecuted for littering and fly-tipping offences.

On top of rubbish clearance, Newham also spent £135,000 sending more than 4,000 letters to get residents to clear up after themselves.

Other London boroughs also fared badly in the rubbish stakes, with Haringey and Enfield taking second and third position respectively.

To find out more, go to gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env24-fly-tipping-incidents-and-actions-taken-in-england