Police helicopter catches fly-tipper dumping rubbish in the Harborough district

A Harborough fly-tipper has been caught red-handed – by a police helicopter.

The man, in his late 20s, was spotted by the eagle-eyed crew illegally dumping rubbish in the countryside.

The offender was spotted piling up household waste on the A47 in Tugby, in the north of Harborough district.

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) aircraft was returning from a routine job on Tuesday November 3 when officers spotted the offender.

The police helicopter chased him for 20 miles as he sped off and tried to get away.

The crew radioed traffic police on the ground – and they caught up with the fly-tipper in Queniborough, north of Leicester.

The man, who is from Birmingham, admitted to the fly-tipping offence immediately.

His motor was also seized by police.

The case was passed to Harborough District Council's enviro-crime team - who fined the fly-tipper £400.

The man told council investigators he had been disposing of household waste for his mother.

Insp Siobhan Gorman, commander for Harborough and Wigston neighbourhood policing area, said: "This case demonstrates an excellent example of the clear and important communication between our officers and our colleagues at the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

“It just goes to show that whether the NPAS are directly responding to an incident or not, they are alert to criminal activity on the ground.”

Based at Market Harborough police station, she added: “We are pleased to have helped Harborough District Council, through the evidence we gathered, to secure this fine."

Cllr Jonathan Bateman, Harborough council's cabinet lead for environment and waste, said: "What a fantastic result this is and a great example of partnership working. “This sends out a strong warning to potential fly-tippers that you never know who's watching!"

The success comes just weeks after a woman from Corby and a woman from Leicester were fined by Harborough council for paying people to remove rubbish which was later fly-tipped.

"I'd like to praise the actions of Leicestershire Police for being an 'eye in the sky' and helping track down the offender, and our council officers for another successful outcome," said Cllr Bateman.

Householders are legally responsible for any waste produced on their property.

They have a duty of care to check that any person or business disposing of their waste is legally allowed to do so.

There are several ways to dispose of the waste that cannot go into wheeled bins:

Take large waste items to your local recycling and waste site (tip)

Use a licensed waste carrier to remove your waste - it is a legal requirement to use a licensed waste carrier (you can also check if someone has a licence on the Environment Agency website).

The council’s large waste items for collection service allows for up to three large household items or 12 sacks of waste to be collected for a charge of £35.04.

Find out more at www.harborough.gov.uk/tip-off