A VAN has been reduced to a mangled heap of metal after being seized in a fly-tipping crackdown.

The white Ford Transit, which had been linked to multiple fly-tips in the Bowling, Wilsden and Heaton areas of Bradford, has become the first to be crushed by Bradford Council under new powers.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, whose portfolio includes waste, watched on as the van was destroyed at Keighley firm CJ Metals Recycling today.

She said: "It's very important people realise it isn't appropriate to fly-tip. It's blighting communities, it's blighting people's streets and green spaces, when it is dumped out in the countryside.

"It isn't acceptable and we are stamping it out."

Last month, the Council seized the vehicle, with the help of police and a tow truck, in Lynfield Drive, Heaton, after it was spotted parked on a grass verge.

Officers had found a load of waste in the van, which they believe could have been earmarked for another fly-tip.

A Council spokesman said the van had no registered keeper and was not insured, so officers had been unable to find the owner.

However, the vehicle - registration number PE05 GZH - was kept for 15 days to give its owner a chance to come forward.

Using powers which came into force in 2015, the Council can seize vehicles if there is evidence that it has been used for fly-tipping and there is a suspicion that it may be used again.

But the council’s opposition Conservative group has urged the Labour-led authority to consider selling, rather than crushing, any seized vehicles from now on.

Councillor Rebecca Poulsen (Con, Worth Valley), the Conservative spokesman for waste, said: “Any enforcement is good and I certainly celebrate successful enforcement.

"I can see how crushing a van is quite symbolic and sends out a message, but I know the police used to crush vehicles they had seized and they have now started selling them to raise money.”

Cllr Poulsen said while she could appreciate that the first van seized had been crushed to drive home the point, money raised from the sale of any other vehicles could be reinvested in more CCTV cameras or patrols.

Cllr Ferriby said the Council did look at the possibility of selling vehicles and would continue to do so in future, “to generate income wherever possible”.

She said: “However, in this case, the vehicle was of very low value due to its condition and it was decided due to this that the vehicle would be crushed.”

The authority’s fly-tipping crackdown began on September 26, when Bradford Council started using new Government powers which allowed it to imposed fixed penalties on people caught carrying out smaller fly-tips.

So far, ten penalties have been issued.

Larger cases are still pursued through the courts.

Cllr Ferriby said: “There have been fines issued and people going through the courts process. 

“It’s a combination of a lot of hard work by officers into catching the culprits that carry out fly-tipping.”

And Cllr Ferriby said members of the public had responded well to the new crackdown.

She said: “We are getting really positive feedback that it is a serious issue and that we are using legislative powers to enable us to bring these people that fly-tip to justice.

“People in the community are responding to our work. They are telling us it’s the right thing to do and they want action taking against fly-tippers. That’s what we are doing.”

Keighley and Bradford Magistrates’ Court heard two cases today, where Aneeka Sarwar, prosecuting on behalf of the Council, said Bradford and Leeds were two of the most prominent areas of the country for fly-tipping offences, at a cost to the public purse.

Anyone who has any information about the van can contact the Council’s environment enforcement team on 01274 434366.

Call the same number to report flytipping, or visit bradford.gov.uk.

MORE TOP STORIES