Council destroys vehicle used for fly-tipping

Wiltshire Council has, for the first time, destroyed a vehicle that had been used for fly-tipping.

The tipper truck was first safely stripped of all pollutants and all reusable parts before being destroyed and sent for recycling. It had belonged to Mr Daniel Waters, 33, of The Old Dairy, Amesbury, who appeared at Salisbury Magistrates Court on 14 September and pleaded guilty to fly-tipping hazardous construction rubbish on farmland. He also did not provide waste transfer notes to the council when requested to do, failing in his duty of care for business waste. While the investigation and subsequent prosecution were ongoing, his vehicle was seized and stored.

Mr Waters was fined a total of £6,980.80 including costs at the time, and it was then that the magistrates authorised the tipper truck he used to fly-tip the waste to be destroyed.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste, said: "This is the first vehicle we have destroyed as a result of a successful fly-tipping prosecution, and it sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this brand of environmental crime in Wiltshire.

"Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful county. We know it is a big issue for our residents, and it is a big issue for us too - and we take it very seriously.

"We have a dedicated team of enforcement officers whose role it is to hunt down fly-tippers - and as this action shows, we will prosecute and we will take steps to stop these criminals in their tracks."

To report fly-tipping, people should visit MyWilts online reporting or call 0300 456 0100.