Truck crushed into tiny cube sends warning to fly-tippers

by Ross Lidbetter

ross.lidbetter@essnmedia.co.uk

This trailer carrying a tiny metal cube that was once a van is to travel around Croydon in a direct warning to fly-tippers.

The vehicle was crushed in December after it was linked to several incidents of fly-tipping across the borough.

It had been spotted in a Thornton Heath street and its owners were wanted for illegally dumping household waste across the town.

Several attempts were made to trace the owners by police, and DVLA officers found they had covered their tracks and registered the van to a false address.

The trailer – with a poster of the van before it was crushed – will be taken to the borough's recycling centres, as well as to community events and festivals.

Phil Thomas, Croydon Council's cabinet member for the environment and highways, said: "We are trying to educate people.

"What we are saying is that it's not acceptable for people to dump or fly-tip in the borough.

"Just because we're clearing the mess, it doesn't mean we're going to encourage people to put more there.

"If we catch these people, and we've had operations with the police, this is what's likely to happen."

The Advertiser revealed last month how nearly 1,500 roads in Croydon were targeted by fly-tippers in 2009.

Between January 1 and December 31 there were 7,376 incidents of fly-tipping – around 20 a day.

The cost of clearing it all up was about £151,000.