Fly-tipping camera destroyed by fire just days after being put up in Walsall
A fly-tipping camera in Walsall has been targeted by arsonists just a few days after it was installed.
Walsall Council officers had to remove the camera stationed on a lamppost on Hawbush Road.
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Less than a week after its installation a community protection officer said ‘it appears the lamppost column has been accessed and has been set fire to’.
Ward member for Blakenall, Councillor Pete Smith, said the council cannot ‘keep throwing good money after bad’.
He said: “After many complaints from local residents, the council listened and took action by removing the fly-tipped rubbish that the lazy dumpers deposited here, and installed a camera in the hope of it acting as a deterrent.
“Now, the council has had to remove the camera because the lamppost column has been accessed and set on fire.
“In the light of this incident, the council is not going to deploy another camera.
“Most residents are sick and tired of seeing their street go down the nick as litter increases and fly-tipping becomes an eyesore.
“But what’s the answer when the council takes action, only for the work and related costs incurred are rendered a waste of time within a few hours or days?
“The council cannot keep throwing good money after bad, only to be undermined by anti- social vandals, who, almost certainly, do not live a million miles away.
“The winners are the mindless fly-tippers and vandals. The losers are the vast majority of decent local residents who, sadly, are having to live with this.”
Councillor Smith has asked the authority to consider other measures to tackle the issue.
A spokesperson for Walsall Council said: “Incidents such as this highlight the complexity we face with littering and fly-tipping offences.
“We are making significant strides in tackling this issue. For example, between July 2025 and February 2026, the number of littering fines issued and paid increased by 18 per cent compared with the same period the previous year.
“Where setbacks such as this are faced, other options, including covert surveillance, serve as alternatives the authority considers.”
The authority has urged residents to get in touch if they have any information regarding the incident through emailing communityprotection@walsall.gov.uk, phoning 01922 653060 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
