BRADFORD Council has already caught a number of senseless fly tippers red handed at a hotspot for the vile act using covert CCTV at the site.

Earlier this year, councillors approved an extra £300,000 investment in their budget to fight environmental crime, which included funding for more mobile CCTV cameras.

The Council has already seen some of that investment repaid after environmental enforcement officers have used the mobile cameras at hotspots for fly tipping in the district.

They recently held a targeted focus in and around Oxenhope, catching a number of lazy, reckless people in the act of fly tipping in the countryside around the village.

These red handed fly tippers were slapped with Fixed Penalty Notices of £400, and if those aren’t paid will land the recipient in court.

While the Council said it doesn’t have precise figures for the number of people caught fly tipping with the cameras, the exact number of fines and prosecutions will be collated later in the year once cases have made their way through the legal system.

But Bradford Council said its officers are already saying how satisfied they are that this extra investment of £300,000 has already proven to be value for money and have confidence it will continue to be successful in catching fly tippers red-handed.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby is Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, and said the Council is committed to catching more fly tippers and getting justice for the environment.

She said: “Fly tipping is a national problem which has been increasing everywhere in the country in the last few years, but we are determined to try to stem the tide.

“Every penny we spend combating this illegal behaviour is putting an extra burden on our Council Tax payers and taking money which could be used for other essential services such as social care and education.

“But it is becoming clear that this has been a very sound investment and we are getting some good results already.

“We will do everything we can to build on this recent success and take the fight to those anti-social elements who seek to damage our environment and our communities.

“There are plenty of ways to dispose of extra waste legally and cheaply so there is no need for rubbish to be dumped in our streets and in the countryside.

“The extra CCTV cameras will give us the opportunity to prevent more fly-tippers getting away with their crimes and - what is most important - persuade potential fly-tippers to think again.”

There are a number of Household Waste Recycling Centres around the district where people can dispose of their rubbish safely and legally.

If you seen fly tipping taking place, Bradford Council asks you to note down as many details as possible, including the vehicle’s number plate and location, and to inform the Council of what you’ve seen as soon as possible.

Fly tipping can be reported on the Bradford Council website or by calling 01274 431000.