Tyres dumped illegally in trailer as part of organised crime spree will cost council £10k to remove

The 40-feet-long dual axle trailer was illegally dumped in Narrowboat Way, Dudley, with hundreds of old tyres inside.

It has been severely damaged including having the roof cut off and corrosion has been found throughout.

This is the second trailer to be dumped in the borough in as many weeks which included one full of building rubble in Swindon Road, Kingswinford.

The council is also aware of other trailers dumped in the region at around the same time and issues nationally.

Council bosses believe the incidents are part of an organised crime gang in a bid to save money on proper, legal disposal of waste.

However, the trailers can cost up to £30,000 each to remove by the council for serious cases of hazardous waste.

People who are caught dumping waste illegally face prosecutions through the courts with maximum £50,000 fines or even prison sentences.

Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for environmental services, said: "We are working quickly to get this removed but yet again the taxpayer is left out of pocket. It does not seem fair that funding which should be used for vital services has to be spent on dealing with issues like this.

"The trailer itself is in pretty bad condition and has had the roof cut off and is being held in shape by a couple of straps. The people who left it just don’t consider the danger they cause.

"From what we understand, this is a national issue but we have had two incidents in Dudley now and I would ask people to be vigilant and report anything they see to the police."

The dumped trailer in Narrowboat Way was reported to the council on Monday and specialist help has been called in to remove it safely.

The trailer in Kingswinford was reported in late August and has since been removed at a cost of around £11,000 to the council.

Fly-tipping can be reported to the council online at dudley.gov.uk. People can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.