Seized car used as warning against fly-tipping

News imageWiltshire Council A grey Mercedes Benz car with its registration plate blurred is parked next to a shipping container. It has a yellow sticker on it which reads 'This vehicle has been seized in connection with fly-tipping'.Wiltshire Council
The car was seized after CCTV captured waste being illegally dumped

A car seized in connection with fly-tipping is to go on display before it is crushed in a "highly visible warning" to the public, a council said.

Wiltshire Council launched an investigation after CCTV captured plastic pipes being illegally dumped in Bulford, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, on 11 May.

The authority said the person responsible failed to provide proof of ownership of the car, meaning it will be "destroyed in line with legal procedures."

"Let this be a clear warning - if you fly-tip in Wiltshire, we will find you, and you will face the consequences," said councillor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways.

The grey Mercedes Benz will go on display outside County Hall, Wiltshire Council headquarters, in Trowbridge, on 25 June.

The council said the seized car would be crushed after the driver indicated they had no documentation.

Smith said the council is taking the extra step to put the car on display "so people can see exactly what happens when you choose to damage our environment and ignore the law."

"Fly-tipping is a selfish, criminal act that blights our communities and costs taxpayers thousands of pounds every year," he added.

"We will not tolerate it, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal – including CCTV, fines, and vehicle seizures – to crack down hard on offenders."

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