THE PUBLIC crushing of one van - spectacular though it was - isn’t going to cure all the fly-tipping ills of our district.

But the symbolism of the gesture will certainly help to focus attention on Bradford Council’s ongoing crackdown.

As well as putting this Ford Transit firmly beyond use, the Council has sent out a clear message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated.

However, it’s not so much what you do with the vehicle that counts - more the way you deal with the people using it for illegally.

In that sense, we need to see fly-tippers being caught and properly punished if the message is to be hammered home.

So it’s perhaps of greater significance to learn that ten on-the-spot fines have been issued for small-scale fly-tipping since the Council started using new powers at the end of September - not a huge number, but a meaningful start.

Another positive development was the fact that two fly-tippers were put before magistrates in Bradford in separate cases yesterday and will have to fork out a combined total of more than £3,500 for their behaviour. How they must wish they had disposed of their waste through legal channels.

All things combined - vehicle crushing, on-the-spot fines and costly court appearances - there’s now a growing feeling that this problem is being taken seriously.

If communities feel empowered to report the perpetrators and if the offenders themselves believe there’s a greater chance of being caught, perhaps we’re finally on the right track towards beating this blight.