Councils failing on flytipping

Flytippers are getting away with dumping rubbish across the West Midlands – with just a tiny fraction of crooks reported ending up being punished, new figures reveal today.

Three West Midland councils received a total of 870 complaints in the last year and did not catch a single culprit.

Authorities have spent thousands of pounds on covert cameras in a bid to catch those responsible.

But an Express & Star investigation has revealed that despite getting thousands of calls from angry residents about everything from bin bags to sofas being dumped in streets and beauty spots, hardly anyone is being caught.

More than 3,800 people have called Wolverhampton City Council to report illegal dumping since last April, but just 70 warning letters have been issued and seven people prosecuted.

Chiefs say a lack of evidence is a big problem.

In Walsall, just one flytipper was hauled before the courts despite 1,106 cases reported between April and November.

Sandwell tippers are also largely escaping prosecution – with five cases being looked at by officer, while Dudley Council spent £53,579 clearing dumped rubbish.

There were also 518 reports of fly tipping to South Staffordshire District Council since last April.

Read the full investigation in today's Express & Star.