A zero approach to fly-tipping has been announced by rural organisations and public bodies in Hampshire.

It follows a meeting between Hampshire County Council, other regulatory bodies and rural interest groups to sign up to a strategy designed to reduce fly tipping in the county.

Rob Humby, the county council's executive member for environment and transport, said: "Fly tipping is illegal, damaging to the environment and totally unacceptable."

Councillor Humby said the anti social actions of a small minority impacted on everyone.

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"By working closely with all our partner organisations with a responsibility or interest in reducing fly tipping, we can put in some robust measures to tackle illegally dumped waste, head-on."

Measures to increase prosecutions, improve recording and reporting, and ways of ensuring people dispose of waste properly were discussed between the partner organisations.

Fly tipping brought with it a cost to all everyone through council tax, whether collecting it, disposing of it, or enforcing the law, said councillor Humby.

Around two thirds of the cost fell to Hampshire County Council for the disposal of fly tipped waste, he added.

But the district councils also had a responsibility to collect the waste, and they had recently been given increased enforcement powers from the government.

With different organisations having different responsibilities, and inconsistent resources for enforcement, the only way to deal with fly tipping was by getting everyone to work together.

"Dealing with fly tipping is a huge drain on public sector resources, and it's important that a message goes out collectively, that fly tipping in Hampshire will not be tolerated."

Everyone has a legal duty of care to ensure that any waste from their household or business is disposed of correctly, reducing the risk of rubbish being dumped illegally.

Failure to do this could result in a fine of up to £5,000, if waste ends up fly tipped.

From 1 October 2016, Hampshire's Household Waste Recycling Centres will accept waste from small businesses on a chargeable basis.

This will provide a facility of 24 sites around the county which were not previously open to commercial companies.