Drone to help in city's fly-tipping fight

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal said fly-tipping was "thoughtless, unpleasant and unhygienic"

A drone will be deployed in Wolverhampton to help in the fight against fly-tipping.

It will identify hotspots, check waste firms are operating correctly and scan areas prone to fly-tipping and then assist with any prosecutions.

Earlier this year, City of Wolverhampton Council began using new CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) that recognises when someone is fly-tipping and sends an immediate report to the authority.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services, said the drone was a useful tool to tackle the crime which was "thoughtless, unpleasant and unhygienic".

The council was one of 26 authorities awarded a share of £1m by the government earlier this year to combat fly-tipping.

Three environmental crime officers have since been trained and authorised as drone pilots through the £49,000 grant, the authority said.

Evidence captured by the drone and the cameras will support the council's ongoing Shop a Tipper campaign, urging the public to identify those responsible.

As part of the campaign, anyone suspected of dumping rubbish will have their images shared to appeal for information to help identify them.

If the information provided leads to successful identification, and fines are issued and paid or a prosecution takes place, residents receive a £100 gift card.