Ashfield District Council has been given vital powers that enable it to seize, retain and destroy vehicles involved in fly-tipping.

It means vans and other vehicles that have been used by unlicensed waste carriers can be taken by the council and destroyed, in partnership with MotorGreen Group Ltd.

The initiative follows the success of the BIG Ashfield Spring Clean, during which the council collected a huge amount of waste and supported community litter picks across the district.

New camouflaged cameras are being deployed at fly-tipping hot-spots across the district.

Coun Jason Zadrozny, leader of the council, said: “We have proven as an authority that we take fly-tipping very seriously.

“This measure is just part of the work the council is carrying out to reduce fly-tipping in the district, as we want to build on our number of successful prosecutions. If we catch you, your vehicle will be destroyed, so why risk it.

“The BIG Ashfield Spring Clean 2019 has been a huge success but it doesn’t end now; we will continue our fight against environmental crime all year round.”

Dragan Vavan, managing director of MotorGreen Group Ltd, said: “We have invested heavily in modern facilities and have qualified for status as an Authorised Treatment Facility from the Department of the Environment.

“We are pleased that when disposing of vehicles involved in this type of crime, Ashfield District Council has considered the environmental consequences and selected an Authorised Treatment Facility such as us.”