Just 51 fly-tipping cases were sent to prosecutors despite almost 300,000 incidents being reported since 2019-20.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have released figures obtained through freedom of information requests in a bid to urge ministers to introduce a restitution order.

New fly-tipping rules, which were effective from Monday, could see on-the-spot fines of up to £500 – more than double the previous £200.

But Scottish Lib Dem communities spokesman Willie Rennie said the move is not enough.

It comes as figures showed that local authorities received 284,762 reports of illegal rubbish dumping since 2019-20.

However, 51 were referred to the procurator fiscal, while 3,317 fixed penalty notices were issued.

Glasgow City Council received the highest number, with 88,357 reports across the four-year period – but just 335 fines were issued

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