A MAN who was caught in the act fly tipping across the District has had his van crushed and ordered to carry out community service.

Dwain Williams, of Rawling Street in Keighley, was also ordered to pay £1,105 costs after he was taken to court over his crimes.

Williams was convicted at Bradford Magistrates Court of fly-tipping at several locations throughout the Bradford District, including Low Moor and Clayton.

The fly-tipping was of multiple loads including tyres, and left roadside areas strewn with waste.

Unbeknownst to him, his fly-tipping, which involved dumping waste from the back of a distinctive blue and grey Mercedes van, was caught on camera by both hidden Council CCTV and footage taken by a member of the public.

Officers carried out an investigation and police and council wardens were alerted to look for the vehicle.

Williams’ van was spotted by Council Neighbourhood Wardens and was seized in a joint operation with officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Operation Steerside and Bradford Council’s Environmental Enforcement Team.

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The unregistered van was crushed by the Enforcement Team as it was unroadworthy and had no resale value.

When he appeared at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court last month, Williams received a 12 month Community Order, 180 hrs unpaid work and was ordered to pay full costs of £1,105.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places said: “We are delighted with the conviction, which shows our serious commitment in the continued fight against fly-tipping.

“We will keep taking people to court and seeking to secure convictions against them, as well as seizing and crushing any vehicles used in this environmental crime.

“We’d like to thank the resident who came forward with the footage which assisted in securing this conviction. If anyone sees or has footage of fly-tipping we’d like to hear from them.”

At a recent meeting Environmental Enforcement officers said new investment in CCTV to catch fly tippers was paying off.

Officers were currently scouring through images of potentially hazardous waste being dumped on fires during the bonfire period, and expect fines to be issued to those responsible in the coming weeks.

Anyone who sees fly-tipping taking place is asked to note down as many details as possible, including vehicle licence plate numbers and inform the Council.

For more information, or if you witness fly-tipping taking place and have information, please visit the council’s website www.bradford.gov.uk or telephone 01274 431000.