'Help us catch Dudley fly-tippers' call as 1,400 incidents reported in six months

Dudley Council had to deal with 1,484 incidents of fly-tipping between January and June.

The fly-tippers have targeted roads, alleyways and other areas across the borough with items ranging from kitchen appliances and black bags to tyres and vehicle parts.

It has cost the council thousands of pounds to clear the rubbish left by other people.

Now council bosses are asking the public to be vigilant and share any evidence such as vehicle registrations and images of perpetrators with the council.

If people are caught they face fines ranging from £75 to £400 and potentially hundreds more through the courts.

Over the past six months, Dudley Council has fined 38 people for fly-tipping and waste that had been illegally disposed

Councillor Damian Corfield, Dudley Council's cabinet member for highways and environment, said: "This sort of thing really annoys me because it hits hard-working council tax payers in the pocket.

"Why should they foot the bill for those who dump this rubbish in our borough?

"Fly-tipping is illegal and if we can catch people we can hit them where it hurts – in the wallet!

"I’d love to see the whole community come together and act as the eyes and ears for this sort of thing.

"The more information we can gather, the more likely we can catch and prosecute them. We cannot let these fly-tippers win."

Dudley Council runs an initiative called You’ve Been Shamed, where it shares CCTV images of people caught fly-tipping across the borough.

The hope is people will recognise offenders and come forward.

People can view the images at www.dudley.gov.uk/youve-been-shamed and share details online in confidence.

People can also report incidents of fly-tipping at www.dudley.gov.uk and search fly-tipping.