A THURROCK flytipper's vehicle was taken away by the borough council today (Monday, 8 June) and the offender hit with a £1,460 fine.

Police assisted in the removal of the van from its owner's home in Stanford-le-Hope after it was identified as being involved in flytipping.

As well as the fine, the vehicle owner will have to pay to recover the van.

A statement from police in Thurrock says: "The effect fly tipping has on local communities and authorities can be more devastating than those committing these offences may realise, and those caught will face appropriate penalties. There is no place for it in Thurrock."

One of the original fly-tipping offences occurred in Howell Road in Stanford-le-Hope on Monday, 18 May 2020.

Thurrock Council leader Rob Gledhill said: "This is just another great example of our teams acting on the information provided by our residents to tackle those who blight our borough with illegal fly-tipping. The cost of clearing up fly-tipping is picked up by every tax payer in Thurrock and is therefore a crime that impacts us all financially.

"Over the past 12 months we have issued 249 fixed penalty notices for those who illegally dump rubbish in our borough. We will continue to penalise those who commit this disgusting behaviour and make it clear that this will not be tolerated in Thurrock."

Fly-tipped waste can be reported at thurrock.gov.uk/fly-tipping. For information on the right way to dispose of different items, go to thurrock.gov.uk/recycling.