Rewards of up to £1,000 on offer to public to help snare fly tippers

Durham County Council and anti-crime charity Crimestoppers have launched a joint initiative to encourage residents to use the charity’s anonymous reporting service to notify the council of any instances of dumped waste and evidence of who is responsible.

Crimestoppers is now offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information that leads to a conviction of those responsible for fly tipping or arson.

The council already has a number of measures in place to ensure incidents are dealt with quickly and those responsible face action.

Only last week Ian Gordon Charlton, 62, of Selby Grove, Hartlepool, received a £1,704.88p court bill after he was prosecuted by the authority for dumping fridges in Fishburn.

But it is is also encouraging residents to use the charity’s anonymous reporting service.

Ian Hoult, the council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “We have noticed there is a gap in the number of reports from the public, perhaps due to a general hesitancy of reporting or because they fear they know the person responsible.

“Using the Crimestoppers service, people will be able to let us know of any incidences so we can deal with them, while maintaining anonymity.”

Gemma Gibbs, Crimestoppers’ regional manager, said: “Anyone who has information about those who cause large-scale fly-tipping can contact our charity completely anonymously online or on the phone.”

Contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use the anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.