Caught on camera: Fly-tippers snapped dumping sofas at Smethwick hotspot
This is the moment two fly-tippers were caught dumping two sofas at a hotspot in Smethwick.
The brazen duo were snapped in Foundry Lane getting out of a white van and unloading the sofas before driving off.
The fly-tippers were spotted ditching the rubbish on August 3 just after 9pm – and an aggrieved resident filmed the pair carrying out the 'blatant' act using his dash cam.
Michael Scott said the pair's actions were 'a blight on the community'.
He said about the incident: "They were just so blatant about it.
"I thought fly-tipping happened in the dead of night at 3am, not 9pm when it's barely dark.
"As it's an industrial area, not many people use the route to commute to work, so it's really popular for fly-tipping."
Mr Scott, who has lived in Smethwick for 10 years, added: "I'm sick of fly-tipping in the area.
"You see the after-effects of fly-tipping all the time, but this is the first time I've seen it happening and I was lucky to catch it on my dash cam.
"The council do a good job of cleaning it up but there's not much in place to prevent people. It's a blight on the community.
"There's a park at the back, Black Patch Park, where people also dump stuff. It's just ruining it for everyone."
Also lying among the rubble were teddy bears, TVs, clothing, scrap wood, household waste and kids' toys.
It is estimated fly-tipping costs the UK £50 million a year, with Sandwell Council imposing a maximum fine of £95,000 or three years behind bars.
In 2014-15, fly-tipping cost the authority a total of £181,000.
Annual crackdowns have been launched by council chiefs to try to tackle the problem.
Smethwick ward councillor Richard Marshall said he was saddened to hear of the latest fly-tipping incident.
He told the Express & Star: "This is really disappointing.
"We've tried to get residents to be more proactive and getting the message out to them that it's their community and they need to assist us.
"Obviously it's awful that people are dumping stuff but great that residents are filming them doing it and taking responsibility for their own area.
"Smethwick is a great area and we've got to stick together to stop people doing this."
A council spokesman said: "Fly-tipping is a drain on already stretched resources, both human and financial.
"It blights our streets and open spaces and causes distress to those who live in areas which are regularly subjected to fly-tipping.
"So far this year we have secured three prosecutions for fly-tipping in 2016 , one related to this site. There are three prosecutions pending."
Council chiefs said it currently costs the authority around £300,000 a year, but have insisted it is decreasing in the area.
The spokesman added: "Previously crews attended this site daily to check if rubbish had been tipped overnight. However there has been a reduction in both the frequency and amount of fly-tipping taking place around the park and crews now attend weekly, or upon reporting of fly-tipping incidents.
"We have installed the new cameras and started a programme of works around Black Patch Park to deter fly tipping.
"New fencing costing £10,000 has been installed along Woodburn Road and Perrott Street and fencing is planned for Foundry Lane. Tree cutting has also taken place and there are plans to upgrade street lighting to help a mobile CCTV camera linked to the council's CCTV control centre.
"We have installed new cameras in the area which will give us the evidence we need to secure successful prosecutions. We will not hesitate to prosecute where we have the evidence."
Derelict pubs, patches of wasteland and alleyways are among the sites commonly targetting by fly-tippers in the borough. Earlier this year, council bosses urged members of the public to use the council's Household Recycling Centre, in Shidas Lane, Oldbury.
