A council has become the first to destroy a vehicle used for fly-tipping – after the owner used it to dump waste in the Wiltshire countryside.
Wiltshire Council destroyed a tipper truck which was used by Daniel Waters, 33, of Amesbury.
He pleaded guilty to fly-tipping after he littered farmland with dangerous construction material.
His vehicle had been seized after he refused to provide a form known as ‘waste transfer note’, which is used to outline how and where hazardous waste is disposed of.
Waters was fined a total of £6,980.80 including costs, and the magistrates court subsequently ordered his vehicle destroyed.
The council then destroyed his truck and Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, explained that the consequences of fly-tipping can be severe.
The Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste, said: “This is the first vehicle we have destroyed as a result of a successful fly-tipping prosecution, and it sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this brand of environmental crime in Wiltshire.
“Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful county. We know it is a big issue for our residents, and it is a big issue for us too – and we take it very seriously.
“We have a dedicated team of enforcement officers whose role it is to hunt down fly-tippers – and as this action shows, we will prosecute and we will take steps to stop these criminals in their tracks.”