A new study has revealed that has revealed that one in eight UK residents have admitted to illegally flytipping unwanted items ­— with over a quarter unaware that it is breaking the law.

The study, conducted by online furniture retailer, Furniturechoice.co.uk, set out to highlight that many UK residents dispose of their rubbish illegally, which is damaging the planet.

The illegal disposing of waste can have negative effects on land, and can harm wildlife, but over one in eight, 13 per cent, admit to having done it.

A survey done by the company showed that 38 per cent fly tip because they think there is nowhere else to take rubbish, 28 per cent are unaware that it is illegal, 22 per cent said it was the easiest option available.

16 per cent also believed that the cost of disposing large items was too high, and 11 per cent said they had flytipped because they knew they could get away with it.

Government data shows that local authorities in England dealt with over one million flytipping incidents between 2018 and 2019, however, there was an 11 per cent increase in fixed penalty notices handed out to offenders in this period.

Tom Obbard, director at Furniture Choice, said: "It's important we do all we can to decrease the amount of incidents happening across the UK and help those who are unaware and knowledgeable on the law."