Van seized over fly-tipping in Handsworth as council steps up crackdown

A vehicle allegedly used to dump rubbish in Handsworth has been seized, as Birmingham City Council and police step up action against fly-tipping in the city.

Officers from the Handsworth Wood neighbourhood policing team helped council staff take the vehicle, which they said had been "used in fly-tipping across the Handsworth area". The team confirmed the seizure on social media shortly after 9pm on Monday.

Councils have the power to seize vehicles they suspect have been used for fly-tipping. If no one claims a seized vehicle, it can be sold or crushed, and owners can be prosecuted. Fines for fly-tipping can be unlimited if a case goes to court, and offenders can be sent to prison.

A councillor gives chase

The seizure came a day after the council's cabinet member in charge of waste, Councillor Harris Khaliq, chased a man he said he saw dumping rubbish in his own ward.

Councillor Khaliq, an independent who represents Ward End, was driving through the area on Sunday when he said he saw a man dumping items at a well-known fly-tipping spot near homes on Northleigh Road.

He stopped and ran after the man, shouting at him to pick it up. The man ran back to a small white van and drove off so quickly that a loose strap was left trailing behind, but the councillor caught details of the van on camera.

He posted the footage on social media and passed the details to the council's enforcement team.

"The polluter should pay"

"Fly-tipping is one of the biggest environmental crimes affecting our communities," Councillor Khaliq said. "It makes money for criminals, leaves a mess for residents and the taxpayer ends up footing the bill. The polluter should pay, not the taxpayer."

Fly-tipping has become a growing source of anger in parts of the city during the long-running bin strike, which led to the suspension of bulky waste collections and left many residents with fewer legal ways of getting rid of large items.

Some of the dumping is done by people clearing their own homes, but much of it is carried out by rogue operators who take cash to remove waste and then dump it rather than pay to dispose of it properly. Residents who pay someone to take rubbish away can be fined themselves if it ends up dumped, so the council urges people to check that anyone they hire holds a waste carrier licence.

No decision yet on fortnightly bins

Councillor Khaliq also said that no final decision had been made on whether to move the whole city to fortnightly rubbish collections, despite concerns raised by opposition councillors.

Fly-tipping can be reported to the council online. Anyone who sees it happening is asked not to approach the people involved, but to note the time, place and any vehicle registration if it is safe to do so.