New CCTV camera to be installed at fly-tipping hotspot in Dudley
A CCTV camera is being installed at a fly-tipping hot spot in the Dudley borough in a bid to leave offenders with "nowhere to hide".
The "deployable" security system is being put in on Bank Street and will be there for several months after concerns from residents.
Council bosses are also planning to spend £60,000 over three years for 12 more deployable cameras – taking the amount in the area to 24.
Councillor Laura Taylor-Childs, cabinet member responsible for community safety, said: "This extra investment is worth every penny if we can catch more people in the act of fly-tipping. The state-of-the-art technology is capable of capturing detailed images of people dumping their rubbish, which helps us to prosecute them.
"The cameras in place at this fly-tipping hotspot in Brierley Hill means there really is nowhere to hide if you are breaking the law."
The cameras will be in position at key points and will be feeding back images to the CCTV control room. The council has issued £1,675 in fines for fly-tipping caught on CCTV over the past six months.
Councillor Steve Clark, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for finance, said: "Fly-tipping is not only illegal it causes a horrible blight on our borough. This is a significant financial commitment that will help address that.
"We spend thousands of pounds clearing up this mess up which ultimately hits honest residents in the pocket. This is a far more cost-effective way of tackling the problem.
"Hopefully the cameras in Brierley Hill will make people think twice, but if they do dump rubbish there illegally, they can expect a hefty fine."
People can help the council by ‘naming and shaming’ people caught on CCTV as part of the authority’s You’ve Been Shamed initiative. Images are posted on the council’s website and people can report individuals they recognise anonymously.
For more information visit dudley.gov.uk/youve-been-shamed
