An untaxed minibus will be crushed after it was seized for being used in a fly-tipping offence.

The burgundy vehicle was caught on CCTV being used to dump rubbish in Perrot Street, Smethwick, in the early hours of 18th March.

Sandwell Council’s Environmental Protection Team were alerted to the rubbish – which included clothing, fabric and black bags – and immediately found evidence linking it to an address nearby. Letters and prescription medication boxes in the black bags pointed the officers to an address in Sydenham Road, about a mile away. Officers found the vehicle outside the address.

The minibus was seized under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and can be held for up to 15 working days while a waste crime is being investigated. The council can then destroy the vehicle after this time has passed. The owner of the vehicle will also be fined £400 or face prosecution. Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for public health and protection Councillor Elaine Costigan said:

“This is the first time we have seized and potentially crushed a vehicle associated with fly-tipping and it won’t be the last. Fly-tipping is a dreadful environmental crime and the council and the people of Sandwell will not tolerate it.

"We've issued 125 £400 fines for fly-tipping over the past two years and we will continue in our fight against the selfish people dumping rubbish on our streets and green spaces."