WATCH: Firefighters battle 20 tonnes of flaming fly-tipped rubbish for whole day
Twenty tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish including garden fences was set alight on farm land in the Black Country with firefighters at the scene for more than 24 hours.
The burning piles of waste were left strewn across the land, off Broad Lane, Bloxwich. Video footage posted on social media by the Red Watch crew at Bloxwich showed the scale of the rubbish mound, which had been dumped.
The town's fire crew attended the scene on Friday night and had to return continuously over the weekend to dampen any hot spots - only able to leave the site at 6.30pm on Saturday.
Among the waste are what appear to be garden fences, large piles of wood and bags overfilling with waste.
The rubbish is spread across several piles which stretch across the field - some of which are completely ablaze, with thick smoke being sent into the air.
A second video posted by the crew from Bloxwich showed them using a Bobcat S160 Skid Steer to help ensure the flames at the site had been fully extinguished.
In a tweet accompanying the video on Friday night, the crew said: "Good progress now being made with the Bobcat skid steer digger. Crews will be delayed another hour."
West Midlands Fire Service Fire Control confirmed over the weekend that crews had to attend over 24 hours to dampen hot spots at the field.
Earlier this month the Express and Star revealed that almost all of the Walsall Council's covert cameras have been deployed in the Aldridge and Beacon area to combat fly-tipping.
Last year, a man was caught on camera dumping rubbish at Bridle Lane. He was prosecuted and handed a bill of more than £2,500 including a fine and court costs.
Walsall Council confirmed several others have also been captured on the CCTV and they are in the process of pursuing legal action against the offenders.
The council has recently moved cameras to Collingwood Drive and Bridle Lane in Streetly, while covert CCTV has been deployed elsewhere in the area at undisclosed locations.
