Lorry seized as action taken against massive Lichfield fly tipping incident
Environmental health officers have seized a lorry as part of their investigation into the huge pile of waste that was fly-tipped in Lichfield in January.
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On Friday, officers from Lichfield District Council raided a site with Staffordshire Police
Searching the premises, they seized a lorry that they believe was used to commit the offences, in Watery Lane, between Wood End Lane and Eastern Avenue.
The waste, which was 24 metres in length, two metres in height and weighed in excess of 27 tonnes, was dumped overnight from Sunday 19 January to Monday 20 January blocking access on a large stretch of road to residents and businesses.
After the raid a spokesperson for Lichfield District Council said: “This is a huge breakthrough and fantastic news for Lichfield District residents and businesses who were affected by this.
"Our environmental health officers have worked hard to gather the evidence we needed to seize this vehicle and will now look to commence court proceedings.“
"By holding the vehicle, this will prevent it from being used to fly-tip and allow the court to determine whether or not it should be forfeited.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and our environmental health officers use all the powers available to them to bring those responsible to justice, giving us a good track record in catching fly-tippers.
“This is about protecting communities, looking after the environment and removing rogue traders from the market to support responsible businesses and reduce costs to the taxpayer.”
Anyone convicted of the fly tipping offence faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
