Waste and recycling
Fly-tipping vehicle seized in early morning swoop
Published on
This morning Walsall Council community protection officers, assisted by the police and bailiffs, seized a vehicle which had been used to dump large amounts of tyres and other waste.
The vehicle concerned had been used to dump large amounts of tyres and other waste on three separate occasions in the Willenhall area during September 2022. This morning Walsall Council community protection officers, assisted by the police and bailiffs, seized the vehicle.
Walsall Council’s community protection officers were unable to trace the vehicle by the registration number or by any other lines of enquiry and so a decision was made to issue a public appeal to help track down the vehicle’s whereabouts.
West Midlands Police were also asked to assist and with their help the vehicle was found, hidden away in a quiet corner of an industrial estate in Willenhall.
“ The appeal clearly spread far and wide as it turned out the vehicle had been repainted, presumably to try to prevent detection.
This has been a very fast-moving piece of enforcement work by our community protection officers and I’m very grateful for their diligent efforts. I must also thank the police for their support, which was invaluable.
The vehicle was seized within a week of the appeal going out so this is a fantastic achievement. It also sends out a clear warning to other criminals.
This is a quick-footed, brilliant example of community cooperation and hopefully a stark lesson learned. “
~ENDS~
Note to Editor
Walsall Council can seize a vehicle and its contents if it is used to commit a waste crime such as fly-tipping. This is set out in law:
A vehicle, trailer or mobile plant can be seized if it is:
- used in fly-tipping
- driven by somebody who is not a registered waste carrier
- used to move waste to somebody who is not a registered waste carrier
- used at a site that is breaking the rules of an environmental permit
The appeal was featured in our news item on 29 September 2022
You can report fly-tipping online.
