Council turns to social media to catch fly-tippers

Telford and Wrekin Council said the money wasted on cleaning up "environmental crimes" could have given residents a 1% council tax cut

Fly-tippers in Telford will be targeted on social media under new plans by the local authority.

Telford and Wrekin Council said since 2019, more than 11,000 "environmental crimes" had been recorded, costing it about £630,000 to clear up.

It will be publishing more CCTV footage online in a bid to catch criminals and is asking local residents to report incidents via a mobile phone app.

The council also asked people to share the videos to help secure prosecutions.

Councillor Richard Overton, deputy leader of Telford and Wrekin Council and cabinet member for Enforcement said: "More than two thirds of households are within 500m of woodland that's protected by the council. We need you to be our eyes and ears and help keep areas like this clean, green and safe for everyone to enjoy."

The local authority is calling the scheme Telford and Wrekin Watch and said it would tackle a range of issues aside from fly-tipping, including abandoned vehicles, littering, dog fouling and the posting of non-approved posters to walls.

It warned there was "a network of more than 400 permanent cameras" in the area and that those who were caught could expect a fixed penalty notice, unlimited fines or up to five years in prison if prosecuted through the courts.