Bradford Council’s new permit scheme for using household waste disposal sites is once again under fire, this time from a neighbouring authority which claims it has led to increased fly-tipping within its borders.

While any saving made by forcing non-Bradford residents to use tips in their own district is welcome on a purely financial level, surely an issue such as fly-tipping should be tackled in a more joined-up fashion?

This newspaper has never been a fan of the new permit system, and, like many other critics of the scheme, believe it will lead to more people fly-tipping because they cannot be bothered to fill in paperwork or display their permit.

And just because the fly-tipping is happening elsewhere does not make it any more palatable. If people from neighbouring Leeds were using Bradford’s tips before and are now fly-tipping more, is it right for Bradford to simply wash its hands of it and say it is not our problem?

Wouldn’t a better way of dealing with this be for a consistent policy nationally allowing people to use their nearest tips.

Let’s be clear – ultimately, the real responsibility for this problem lies with those who flout the law and dump their rubbish when and where they feel like it, and they should be punished as severely as is legally possible when caught to deter others.

But it is also important that obstacles are not placed in the way of those who do not need much of an excuse to take the lazy and inconsiderate option.

Ultimately, this is a problem that transcends local authority borders, and should be dealt with in a more unified way across the region – and indeed, across the country.