0:00:01 > 0:00:06Welcome to the fight to clean up our streets and put the "great" back into Britain.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's an environmental crime that needs dealing with severely.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Every day there are nearly 3,000 illegal fly tips across the UK.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Soiled nappies. That's going to attract rats.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19And this mucky mess is wrecking our cities and countryside.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Would they do it on their own doorstep? No.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26From the 122 tons of cigarette butts
0:00:26 > 0:00:30or 900 tons of dog mess that hits our streets daily,
0:00:30 > 0:00:35to mountains of hazardous waste, we're all affected by what's dumped on our doorsteps.
0:00:36 > 0:00:42We're with the officers determined to catch the crooks in the most shocking cases ever seen.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Anything you do say may be used evidence.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Join us in the battle to clean up our country
0:00:48 > 0:00:52as the war is waged on Britain's filthy, rotten scoundrels.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14Today on Filthy Rotten Scoundrels - the shocking story of a crook that
0:01:14 > 0:01:17targeted a primary school with his illegal fly-tipping.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22A vehicle reversed into the driveway and dumped all these breeze blocks.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26But officers in this borough have zero tolerance with crimes like this.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Our stance is always to make sure that the vehicle is crushed.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Plus, how a London business was devastated by illegal fly-tipping.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40We had one customer turn up - she actually got back in her vehicle,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43phoned us and said, "I'm outside, but I'm scared to actually come out."
0:01:43 > 0:01:48And, in Bristol, officers are trying to find out who is dumping
0:01:48 > 0:01:52mountains of disgusting rubbish next to residents' back fences.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57Takeaway. That's obviously the cleaning out of a rabbit hutch.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01It's every other house along here. It's not just one person, is it?
0:02:01 > 0:02:02But first...
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Early morning in Liverpool, and enforcement officers Gary and Bill hit the road.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15They're investigating an urgent case.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19It looks like a dodgy builder has dumped a van-load of waste
0:02:19 > 0:02:21at a notorious fly-tipping hotspot.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It may not look like much but in the last year alone,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27the area they're heading to - known as Higher Lane -
0:02:27 > 0:02:31has seen no fewer than 62 illegal fly-tips.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33And as if that's not bad enough,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36this place is right next to a cemetery.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Have these people got no respect?
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Gary and Bill reckon that some of the dumping is being done by the same person.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47So they've pulled in help from a secret weapon.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50We've actually got two CCTV cameras down here
0:02:50 > 0:02:54because it's a bad site for your fly-tipping.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57With every case, officers need to check
0:02:57 > 0:03:02if there's any evidence in the fly-tip that could help with their investigation.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08It's crucial they find something to identify the crook who's dumped this rubbish.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Three-and-a-half ton tipper.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Yeah, flagging.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Somebody's done flagging in a garden. Bits of old flags, bricks.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Getting their garden ready for the summer
0:03:19 > 0:03:22cos they want to sit in a nice garden in the summer.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25But we'll make a mess of somebody else's area for the summer.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30If Bill and Gary catch the person who did this, they won't be doing it for much longer.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33This is one of the reasons why we've got this camera.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38This is happening quite a lot - tipper truck like this, probably in and out in five minutes.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Nobody about. Early morning, maybe.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Early evening, after they've finished work.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49And hopefully we're going to get them on CCTV and get the number plate.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52Now, my next step.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58Go back to work and view CCTV footage on the laptop in work
0:03:58 > 0:04:00and find who this person is.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06CCTV is a massive help for Gary and Bill
0:04:06 > 0:04:09in their fight against fly-tipping in Liverpool.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12And with 40 cases reported every day,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16residents right across the city have simply had enough.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21There's no pleasure in waking up of a morning, looking out the window,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24on a nice day, and seeing a load of rubbish.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Well, I don't think they care about what other people think. It's just, "Oh, let's get rid of it."
0:04:29 > 0:04:32They don't care who it belongs to or who's living around.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34"Let's just get rid of it." That's what they think.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39At the office, Gary and Bill are doing their best to make their city
0:04:39 > 0:04:41a better place to live.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Big Brother's watching.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Time to get down to detective work.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Has this latest dump been caught on CCTV?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Ah! I've actually caught the gent red-handed, with his tipper up.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Bingo. It looks like a right result for the boys.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11The assumptions were right - it was a tipper truck, a 3.5 ton tipper truck.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Which I had idea it would be, because they can be in and out of there in probably two minutes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18This gent is only probably in here two minutes.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21But seeing him in the act isn't enough evidence.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25They need to pick out some detail to identify this law breaker.
0:05:25 > 0:05:31Right, what I'll do now, I'll try going down minute by minute
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and see if we can fine-tune it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36That's fine.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41And I've hit the jackpot.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48There you go. 7.36, he's actually in the middle of tipping.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I'll just fine-tune this, now.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Gary's looking for a shot where the van's registration is clear enough
0:05:55 > 0:05:59to identify and catch the culprit bang to rights.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Straightaway, I can see his registration.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07In fact, that's the registration number of a known offender.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Yes, he's been to court and fined before. So, hopefully, this time
0:06:11 > 0:06:14he's going to learn his lesson and get a much bigger fine.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Just as they initially thought, Gary and Bill have a serial fly-tipper on hands.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22They've now got their sights firmly targeted on this rotter.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25If they can catch the man, it will stop him once and for all
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and help clear up this area of Liverpool.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35But a few days after the footage was spotted,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Gary's laptop unbelievably corrupted.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45The film was permanently lost.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53With the laptop repaired and the camera double-checked,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55the enforcement team can now only hope
0:06:55 > 0:06:57the repeat offender does it again.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I've got the vehicle coming in
0:06:59 > 0:07:01and I can clearly see his registration plate.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05And, as the police get involved, could this be the van and the man
0:07:05 > 0:07:08that's repeatedly fly-tipping in Liverpool?
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Enviro-enforcers experience brazen criminal acts every day.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19But some cases simply take the biscuit.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24Next, a fly-tipper who he wishes he hadn't targeted a primary school with his illegal dumping.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Croydon, south London.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36In just one year they had nearly 5,500 fly-tips reported,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39costing 168 grand to clear up.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43They'd had enough and came up with an extreme solution to their problem.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Mattresses, settees and beds were finding their way onto street corners.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50It just makes the place look run-down.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Aside from the tens of thousands of pounds that we're spending
0:07:53 > 0:07:57on just clearing fly-tipping from the street, it's depressing.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00So that's why we really stepped up the game
0:08:00 > 0:08:03in terms of responding to fly-tipping over the last year or so.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16This was the local primary school that was targeted by one of the fly-tipping law-breakers.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Headmistress Sue Eastwood was shocked when she fell foul of this dodgy deed.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24During the summer holidays, when the children weren't here,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27a vehicle reversed into the driveway of the school
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and dumped all these breeze blocks in the driveway.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34What a shocker.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37But this brazen act didn't go unnoticed in broad daylight.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We had some contact from the police.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44They were in the vicinity and heard this almighty crash.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47When they got out of the vehicle to investigate it further,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50they approached the driver of the vehicle.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52I think he was with someone else.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56And as the police wanted to engage further with them to talk things through, they ran off.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I think they pushed past the police and ran off.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Because it was blocking the driveway -
0:09:03 > 0:09:06not only with the breeze blocks, but the vehicle was abandoned and left there.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12Until Croydon Council could actually remove it, people had to remain on site.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16It's just hugely inconsiderate.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19We had to pay for Croydon Council to come and remove the vehicle.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Obviously, that had to come out of the school budget,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25which affects what we're spending on children.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28With the school being out of pocket, the council pulled out
0:09:28 > 0:09:32all the stops to make sure these criminals paid the price.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35So, they seized their van.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Obviously, within a few days of investigation, we established that
0:09:39 > 0:09:42the vehicle wasn't registered with the Environment Agency.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47When we contacted the DVLA...
0:09:49 > 0:09:53..they advised us that the vehicle wasn't taxed.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58We tried to make contact with the owner.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03In fact, we asked them to come in and engage with us and they refused to do so.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11After a period of time, we advertised the fact that this vehicle was in our possession
0:10:11 > 0:10:16and we asked the owners to actually come and take the vehicle.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They refused to make contact with us.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27After a period of time, our stance as a council is always
0:10:27 > 0:10:30to take the strongest possible action,
0:10:30 > 0:10:35which is to make sure that the vehicle is crushed.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42I love it when we see things through to their conclusion.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Any vehicle that's actually involved in fly-tipping,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I think we try and send out a very strong message.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54To see the vehicle being crushed like this, I think it sends out that message.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59This is the actual van that dumped the building blocks at the school.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05And this is us all saying goodbye to it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08They will know that we've carried out this exercise - crushed the vehicle.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13I can just imagine how they'll feel when they see their vehicle
0:11:13 > 0:11:18that they've used to bring in some income actually being crushed in this way.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20So fly-tippers beware -
0:11:20 > 0:11:25next time, it might just be you waving goodbye to your van.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27It helps to know that that vehicle is gone.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32If that's happening, maybe - just maybe - people will begin to realise
0:11:32 > 0:11:35that they do get caught up with eventually
0:11:35 > 0:11:39and it would be best to actually take this to a local-authority tip
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and get rid of it legally.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46For the staff and children of Kensington Avenue Primary School,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and all the victims of illegal fly-tipping,
0:11:48 > 0:11:53let's just have one last look at that van being crushed again. This one's for you.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Officers in Liverpool are hunting a serial tipper they caught on CCTV.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10They lost their original footage when their computer crashed,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13but could they have got lucky when they spot a van
0:12:13 > 0:12:16doing the same thing in the same place?
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Just so blatantly ridiculous. What we're going to do now
0:12:20 > 0:12:22is speak with the local police.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26But next, an unbelievable case that brings a new meaning to the phrase
0:12:26 > 0:12:29"out of sight, out of mind". We're off to Bristol.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40With a population of around half a million, it's one of the largest cities in south-west England -
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and a breeding ground for some very anti-social behaviour.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52The main problem in Bristol is domestic waste being fly-tipped.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Decaying mattresses, broken-up furniture, builders' rubble
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and bags of rotting household rubbish
0:12:58 > 0:13:02are regularly dumped in the city's roads and open spaces.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08With around 18 illegal fly-tips recorded every day, David Ashwin
0:13:08 > 0:13:14is another enviro-enforcer who is passionate about hunting down the wasters ruining his city.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17And, when it comes to bringing these people to justice,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22the 52-year-old former policeman is like a dog with a bone.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24A bag filled with nappies - lovely!
0:13:24 > 0:13:30But while the streets of Bristol suffer at the hands of these filthy, rotten fly-tippers,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33some people have it literally dumped on their doorsteps.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39There's a row of houses which back onto the playing fields. A number of them have access gates to the fields.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43At the back of the houses, all along, is a large amount of rubbish.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48People spoil the amenities for everybody else, by thinking it's not their problem.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52- Now it IS going to be their problem. - That's right, Dave, you tell 'em!
0:13:52 > 0:13:56This is where it's all happening - the King George V playing fields in
0:13:56 > 0:13:59the north-east suburb of Downend in Bristol.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03And the dumped rubbish is a terrible eyesore.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06You can see this is the start, where...
0:14:08 > 0:14:10..people have got access to the rear
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and have just discarded their chairs, plastic chairs, whatever.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Obviously someone's had some work done, just left...
0:14:21 > 0:14:24all their other stuff at the rear.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27David has important CSI work to do.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33He's going to have go through all the filth to dig out clues that will pinpoint which house or houses
0:14:33 > 0:14:36might be responsible for this disgusting mess.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39DOG BARKS
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And now he's gone and upset Rover. Woof.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Well, he doesn't sound too menacing so it's back to the grindstone.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50It's extraordinary what's hidden amongst all this rubbish.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Takeaway.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Last night's dinner.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- Even Thumper's getting a look-in. - Ugh!
0:14:58 > 0:15:02That's obviously the cleaning out of a rabbit hutch.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Obviously somebody feels that any excrement, this is where it comes.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12Child's nappies, waste from a rabbit hutch - just chuck it over the fence!
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Really, really unpleasant.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I mean, looking at the gardens...
0:15:18 > 0:15:21..obviously this house - I can see a rabbit hutch there,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24so, you know, droppings, hutch.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26In the trade,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28that's what we call clues!
0:15:28 > 0:15:31You're not wrong there, David.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36- But there are literally piles and piles of rubbish. - Let's move down to the next one.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40With so much to get through, he needs to find some hard evidence
0:15:40 > 0:15:43that will reveal who has been dumping this horrible lot.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47This doesn't look like it's been here for that long.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51There's a lot of child's toys here - a paddling pool, dog food bags.
0:15:53 > 0:15:59A few more child's paddling pools. Four.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Five.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Six.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Seven.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Seven paddling pools just here.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Seven?! What, does Snow White live round here?
0:16:12 > 0:16:15I think someone needs to keep an eye on their sharp objects!
0:16:15 > 0:16:18But why dump it here?
0:16:18 > 0:16:20And it only gets worse.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25You've got pressure washers, strimmers, hedge trimmer, tyres,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27old car seat.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30And yet another paddling pool!
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Obviously using disposable paddling pools.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38Surely it can't be that hard to spot the culprit.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Distinct lack of paddling pools in there.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45David's really not having any luck digging out those all-important clues,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and seeing all this mess is just more frustrating.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Obviously things that you think, I'll put them into the environment and they'll rot down nicely.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58They'll offer some animal a nice habitat!
0:16:58 > 0:17:01For the record, with the amount of metal and plastic here,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04this lot will take hundreds of years to decompose,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and even then, it's not going to be good for the environment.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11There is nothing paper-wise evidentially here.
0:17:11 > 0:17:17But you can see from the location of it - who else is going to come here to put all this rubbish?
0:17:17 > 0:17:21It's not accessible other than from this address.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29There may be no hard evidence, but it's obvious where this lot came from.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31All these here are exactly the same as what's over here.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36And it's not just one person, is it?
0:17:36 > 0:17:40It's every other house along here just seems to think,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43it's over my wall, out the way - nothing to do with me.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Well, I've heard of NIMBYs, the not-in-my-back-yard brigade,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52but this lot just don't care, as long as they don't have to look at it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56But for one neighbour, these piles of rubbish
0:17:56 > 0:17:59only spell clear and present danger to her three grandchildren.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Leave that alone.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Leave that alone, please.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08If you've got children and everything,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10one of them is going to get hurt sooner or later.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13There's bits of nails coming out the wood.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18To be frank, it's a minefield for them - the nails, the paint there.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22This causes danger to the kids who come out and play.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24You can see all the kids out here playing.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It puts all the children at danger.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Very much so.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31You're not wrong there, David.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37It's been a frustrating CSI search for our top-notch investigator,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41especially as he knows the dirty, rotten fly-tippers are out there.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43If you look at the road, it's very tidy.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47There's three bins out on the street, that's all. It's a tidy street.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50The gardens look well kept. It's out of sight, out of mind.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52If nobody can see it,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54according to them it's not a problem.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58"As long as it's out of my garden, the problem has gone."
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Unfortunately it hasn't.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05The problems will come back to haunt them because I'm going to be knocking on their doors today.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Still to come on Filthy Rotten Scoundrels,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Problems come thick and fast for David
0:19:12 > 0:19:15when he goes door to door along the next street.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18It's time to meet the residents face to face.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21He's determined to find out who is responsible
0:19:21 > 0:19:23for the mess dumped over the back fences,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26but it's not going to be easy.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29I'm dealing with a lot of rubbish at the back of these houses.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31There's quite a bit at the back of yours.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Will anyone be able to help him work out
0:19:32 > 0:19:35who has dumped the rubbish at the back of the houses?
0:19:35 > 0:19:41A couple of those people I'm sure were, erm...
0:19:41 > 0:19:43sparse with the truth.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Back in Liverpool, enforcement officers Gary and Bill
0:19:52 > 0:19:55caught a serial fly-tipper dumping builder's waste on CCTV,
0:19:55 > 0:20:00but they lost the footage when the computer file got corrupted.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05The laptop has now been repaired and the camera double-checked.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08It's a week later, and Gary is working with his boss, Steve,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12and guess what - they've got lucky!
0:20:16 > 0:20:21At about 7.10am this morning, we found our man,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23caught him bang to rights.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It's a massive result for the team.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31They've captured the van tipping again and this time they can identify exactly who it is.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34We've got him coming in and I can see the registration plate,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36so that's what we're working on now.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39He's now spinning it round to reverse in.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's a Ford Transit flatbed.
0:20:42 > 0:20:49To catch someone as brazen as this man in the act takes a lot of dedication from the officers.
0:20:49 > 0:20:56Gary will sit for hours, searching through footage finding the offenders.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00You can actually see from the filming of it, the tipper actually lifting up.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05There really is no arguing about this illegal fly-tip.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09This one is just so blatantly ridiculous.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Not only have we got the registration, we've got the name of the company and a phone number.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16What we're going to do now, our next port of call,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20is to speak to the local police and arrange for them to be arrested.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26Before they attempt to arrest the man, Gary and Steve want to check out his latest crime in person.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31They want to search for any other evidence and make sure this case is watertight.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34It's important that he gets exactly what's coming to him.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42This gent has probably cost Liverpool City Council taxpayers thousands and thousands of pounds
0:21:42 > 0:21:44in clear-up costs over the years,
0:21:44 > 0:21:50besides ripping off the people who've been paying him to take the waste away legally.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56I think CCTV has definitely come up trumps on this one.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58The contents of the fly-tip look very familiar.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03It's exactly the same kind of stuff the man has previously fly-tipped here.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08It's obviously from gardening waste. There's old doors, concrete posts.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13He obviously feels pretty secure here because I'd say he's been here three or four times in two weeks.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16And I know he'll come back.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21And to make sure he doesn't come back again, Steve's been true to his word.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The police have been lined up to arrest the criminal.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Two weeks later, the boys and the police are ready for business.
0:22:34 > 0:22:366 in the morning. Me and Gary have come on early.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39We've been here since 5.30 this morning.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42We've now come to the police station.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47Obviously we've spoken to the police and the local police sergeant has allocated us two police officers,
0:22:47 > 0:22:52and they'll do the arrest for us and get them booked in, and then me and Gary will interview them.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Hopefully we'll catch him before he gets up.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Hence the reason we're doing the early door.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02Both Steve and Gary know just how important it is to catch the man and stop him in his tracks.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06He knows where to go and knows all the ducks and dives of Liverpool
0:23:06 > 0:23:10but unfortunately this time he didn't know he had a CCTV camera on him.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14He's actually been done before. Three separate occasions he went to court and got fined.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19But it's not learned him a lesson, so this time we'll see if we can sting him a bit harder.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23We can get this gentleman fined and maybe take his vehicle off the road.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27You're going to save Liverpool City Council thousands of pounds over the years.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31He's a nuisance. He's doing it on a permanent basis.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36He's constantly round the area tipping. But we've never ever been able to catch him.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39The camera has caught him for us.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43As they team up with the police, little do they know what lies ahead of them,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and the adrenalin's starting to kick in.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Still to come, as they arrive at the man's address,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55it looks like his van is ready to fly-tip again.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58He's still in. And you can see there, he's loaded up.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01But will they stop him in his tracks?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09With cases of fly-tipping,
0:24:09 > 0:24:14it's easy to think of how it affects where we live or how it's damaging the environment,
0:24:14 > 0:24:15but it can ruin businesses, too.
0:24:17 > 0:24:24Next, the story of how illegal dumping cost a London flooring company tens of thousands of pounds.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Shaqil Dita is the owner.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29We had to move out due to the fact that there was
0:24:29 > 0:24:34continuous dumping and fly-tipping occurring virtually on a daily basis.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38One time we had half a car sitting outside our warehouse!
0:24:38 > 0:24:41There's one man who's gunning to get these filthy, rotten fly-tippers -
0:24:41 > 0:24:47Waltham Forest Council's environment enforcer, David Valentine.
0:24:47 > 0:24:55I have a background of investigation going back to 1964 when I joined the Metropolitan Police.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59The local authorities take on a lot of ex-police officers
0:24:59 > 0:25:03because they're trained in evidence gathering and giving evidence.
0:25:03 > 0:25:10Just the sort of qualities that they want for this sort of work.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And David's 32 years in the police force
0:25:14 > 0:25:19didn't fail him when it came to solving the case of one nonchalant fly-tipper in Walthamstow.
0:25:20 > 0:25:28Grange Road in East 17 is a secluded cul-de-sac on an industrial estate that's been plagued by fly-tipping.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34So much so that the council put in CCTV cameras to track them, but that didn't put everyone off.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41It was here on Sunday 18th October 2009
0:25:41 > 0:25:45that a considerable amount of rubbish was dumped from a van.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51That was picked up on the CCTV camera that you'll see up at the top of this road.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59The camera picks up a van coming down at 5.40 in the evening,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03and it seemed to pull up, turn round, stop for a short while,
0:26:03 > 0:26:09and the driver get out of the vehicle and remove and pull all the rubbish from the rear of it,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and then shortly later, drive off.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15It was thanks to the quick actions of an operator
0:26:15 > 0:26:20at the CCTV control centre that this disgraceful act was caught on film.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22He clearly thinks he's above the law,
0:26:22 > 0:26:27and even manages to look right down the lens of the camera recording him...
0:26:27 > 0:26:29before clearing off.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37There is eventually a large pile of rubbish.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42It must have virtually filled the complete back of that van.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47It's our practice to rummage through the waste to see if we can find anything
0:26:47 > 0:26:53that might give any little clue as to where it had come from.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58David's three decades as a police officer stood him in good stead.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01And he soon found something to help his investigation.
0:27:01 > 0:27:08In this case I found a Visa receipt which had the name of a local company on it,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12not more than 400 or 500 metres from where we stand at this moment.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15And which I thought was a good place to start my inquiry.
0:27:15 > 0:27:21While our intrepid law enforcer had a strong lead in his case of the hoodie fly-tipper,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25there were plenty of others dumping illegal waste in this hot spot.
0:27:25 > 0:27:31And for Shaqil Dita, whose wood flooring business was based in this industrial estate,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33life had become unbearable.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37We wouldn't know. The night before was all clear, turn up in the morning,
0:27:37 > 0:27:42you're talking about maybe ten lorry skipfuls of rubbish turns up.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43It was absolutely horrid,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47to turn up and find hundreds of tyres dumped on your doorstep.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50These would be have to be physically picked up by ourselves.
0:27:50 > 0:27:56I'm talking about access being restricted because we had 500 tyres dumped outside our front gate.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Now, people that do this get away with it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02For them, it's just a quick "dump it out the back door and off you go."
0:28:02 > 0:28:08But for people like me, we have to pick it up, clear our own access, and it's a great inconvenience.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Inconvenience? That's putting it mildly, Shaqil.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17In fact, the poor man was haunted by these rogue fly-tippers for three years.
0:28:18 > 0:28:24And it got so bad that he finally decided to up sticks and move his business to Ilford, 15 minutes away.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28A move that was a huge hit with his clients.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It was such an eyesore. Wasn't it?
0:28:31 > 0:28:36Whenever I'd take a customer there to buy flooring, they'd look at it and be like, "what's this?
0:28:36 > 0:28:38"Where have you brought us?" Do you know what I mean?
0:28:38 > 0:28:40People would lock their doors.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43There were customers that even said they felt unsafe there.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Yeah, we had one customer turn up, she actually got back in her vehicle,
0:28:48 > 0:28:52phoned us and said, "I'm outside but I'm scared to actually come out."
0:28:52 > 0:28:58In the end, the fly-tippers cost Shaqil £15,000 to move his business.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02It was a hefty price but it did buy him peace of mind.
0:29:02 > 0:29:10While Shaqil took drastic steps to get away from the fly-tippers, David was trying to get closer to them.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12But his investigation hit a brick wall.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18He contacted the DVLA with the van's registration number but they had no record of it.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22It was false. This was a huge blow, but David
0:29:22 > 0:29:29still had the shop Visa receipt he'd dug out from the dumped rubbish, so he decided to confront the owners.
0:29:29 > 0:29:36I went in to speak to the person in charge of the shop who quite correctly pointed out
0:29:36 > 0:29:40to me that this was a customer copy Visa voucher
0:29:40 > 0:29:44and that he knew nothing of the dumping of rubbish.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50At that point, I felt that there wasn't much else that I could do with this matter.
0:29:50 > 0:29:56It looked like the case of the hoodie fly-tipper was to be consigned to the unsolved shelf.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01But two weeks later, David's investigation took a dramatic turn.
0:30:01 > 0:30:08It wasn't until 3rd November that I was able to progress the matter further.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13I'd passed this location here in connection with an unrelated matter
0:30:13 > 0:30:16and when I saw outside a white van,
0:30:16 > 0:30:22which looked very similar to the van that I'd seen in the CCTV recording,
0:30:22 > 0:30:27I rang in to find out and confirm the registration mark.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30The van that was parked outside the premises here
0:30:30 > 0:30:33had an F and a 6 in it.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38Whereas the registration mark recorded on the CCTV
0:30:38 > 0:30:42had an E and an 8 and it became
0:30:42 > 0:30:50apparent to me that somebody had changed the F on the van to an E and a 6 to an 8.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54And that's how he hoped that he'd get away with this matter.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58But the plot grew even thicker.
0:30:58 > 0:31:04David took another look at the CCTV footage of the fly-tip van and noticed a big dent on the back
0:31:04 > 0:31:10bumper which, lo and behold, matched a dent on the bumper of the van parked outside the shop.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12He had struck gold.
0:31:12 > 0:31:19And I'm sure that was a major point in the magistrates deciding that was the actual vehicle involved.
0:31:19 > 0:31:25The hoodie driver was never identified but the damning CCTV footage proved
0:31:25 > 0:31:33the van was registered to the shop owners and they were fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Ouch! But for businessman Shaqil this doesn't go far enough.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41It's absolutely disgusting what they do and people like
0:31:41 > 0:31:47this should be actually given sentences where they go out picking up this sort of rubbish.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Maybe not rubbish they've dumped but rubbish that other people have dumped,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53to let them know what it feels like to pick up other people's mess.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55Well, I'm with you on that one, Shaqil.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59But at least thanks to David and a little help from Big Brother,
0:31:59 > 0:32:04someone was nailed for the Walthamstow fly-tip and justice has been seen to be done.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11There's more crime and hopefully punishment
0:32:11 > 0:32:13soon to be delivered to one dodgy dumper in Liverpool
0:32:13 > 0:32:18where officers are about to confront a serial fly-tipper.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20They've been seen tipping on the lane.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22His van is at home but, crucially,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24will the police be able to arrest him?
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Back in Bristol, enviro-enforcer David is investigating
0:32:31 > 0:32:37the mounds of rubbish that have been dumped next to people's back fences.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39It's obviously the cleanings-out of a rabbit hutch.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43He's about to knock on the doors of the houses.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46It may not have come from any of them, but it's time to see
0:32:46 > 0:32:49if anyone knows anything about how the rubbish got there.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54We're dealing with a lot of rubbish that's out the back of all these houses.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56And there's quite a bit at the back of yours.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58No joy at the first house.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01How will he get on at the next one?
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Any idea where it's come from?
0:33:04 > 0:33:06The owner knows nothing either.
0:33:06 > 0:33:13Because the window, it looks like someone's taken out a window and it's literally dumped.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15Still no joy, somebody must know something.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19You haven't seen any of your neighbours doing anything like that?
0:33:19 > 0:33:26David's got no proof of who dumped the rubbish and no-one has seen anything. It's frustrating for him.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29A couple of those people I'm sure were...
0:33:33 > 0:33:35sparse with the truth.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37However,
0:33:37 > 0:33:42it was a general theme as well, we moved in and all this was
0:33:42 > 0:33:46in the house when we got here and a lot out the back.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48For somebody to say, "It was me, I had my fridge-freezer,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50"I didn't know what to do with it so I just dumped it."
0:33:50 > 0:33:52People don't tell you that.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58You do need that little bit of evidence and you do need just that little bit to say, "Actually,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02"it's got your name and address on it," or, "A neighbour saw you do this."
0:34:02 > 0:34:06You just need something. "All this was outside the back of your house,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08"how did it get there?" "It was there what I moved in.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11"I didn't put it there, must have been a neighbour."
0:34:11 > 0:34:15That's what's to be expected, unfortunately.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Sadly, you can't win them all, David.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21The people know exactly who they are but this lot still needs to be cleaned up.
0:34:21 > 0:34:27And if the locals aren't going to do it, then someone else is going to have to.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36It's a month later and a special clean-up operation is underway.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41Bristol City Council runs a scheme called Community Payback, formerly known as Community Service.
0:34:41 > 0:34:47It's where people who've been found guilty of a crime work for free for the benefit of the community.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Across the UK, more 6,500,000 hours of Community Payback
0:34:50 > 0:34:56are carried out every year and in charge today is Richard Ward.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01We've got a long-standing partnership with Bristol City Council's Clean And Green department
0:35:01 > 0:35:05where we go out and work very much cleaning up what the public identify as a problem.
0:35:05 > 0:35:11A lot of the areas we clean back we open up, visibly open up so people get their community back.
0:35:11 > 0:35:12They get their short cut back -
0:35:12 > 0:35:16instead of having to go five miles around the block to avoid being mugged,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19they've got a clear line of sight, nobody's going to jump out on them.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24That's the feedback we get from the public and that's what makes the groups feel good.
0:35:29 > 0:35:37Enviro-enforcer Dave has come back to the site to see how the clean-up is getting on.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Shot. Shot.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41You're getting good now.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45One umbrella.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47It's an excellent use of resources.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51It gives these guys a sense of purpose. Helps the community.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56To be honest, everybody wins out of this. Householders win.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01These guys get a bit of self-respect from doing a good job and as you can see they are doing a really good job.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05They're clearing an awful lot already. A lorry load has just gone off to the tip.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13You can see how the weeds have grown
0:36:13 > 0:36:15quite considerably since I was here last.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21All this down here, there was no nettles. Nothing at all, really.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25You could see all the rubbish far clearer than you can now.
0:36:25 > 0:36:31Because obviously the nettles have grown up this now disguises where all the rubbish is.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35They're doing a lot of cutting back now to access a lot of the rubbish.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42I would say probably the majority of the projects that go on in Bristol,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45we've got one of the dirtiest jobs. Today's not bad. It's nice and dry.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49It's one of the projects that you can see right away the fruits of your labour.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54Pretty much once you've loaded the truck up and you turn around you can see where the group's been.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58For a lot of them it is a good feeling because they know they've made a difference.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20You always get one, don't you?
0:37:24 > 0:37:28The area is transformed by the lads' hard work.
0:37:28 > 0:37:33And for Dave, it's clearly a job well done.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36You can see there's a hell of a difference now.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40You can see that this is now clear. It's safe now for kids to come out to get to the field.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42No reason now
0:37:42 > 0:37:45why there should be any rubbish here at all in the future.
0:37:45 > 0:37:51Any future instances of rubbish being dumped over here will be treated as fly-tipping
0:37:51 > 0:37:56and, provided the evidence is there, then court action will be taken against those people.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00There is no excuse. It's a lovely area. They're very lucky having the park here.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03There's no reason whatsoever to abuse it.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12Back in Liverpool, officers Gary and Steve have called in the police
0:38:12 > 0:38:15to arrest the serial fly-tipper they caught dumping on CCTV.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19It's early in the morning and they are hoping to give the scoundrel
0:38:19 > 0:38:25a wake-up call with a difference - and we are not talking about giving him breakfast in bed!
0:38:25 > 0:38:30The two offences what we've got him on CCTV were both at 7.10am,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34so we are hoping we can surprise him before he goes out.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38But will the boys get lucky?
0:38:38 > 0:38:41We're probably two minutes away from this gentleman's house now.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49So much rides on this case, but will they get the arrest they need?
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Will the man still be at home?
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Still in! You can see that he's loaded up.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05As they pull up, it looks like they've got to the man's home just in time.
0:39:06 > 0:39:11That's the guy's vehicle that we are after, and as you can see on the back of it, he's loaded up.
0:39:11 > 0:39:17He's got a cement mixer and there's all like building rubble on the back of it, builders' waste.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19So we'll have to see what he has to say.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24Before they get stuck in, there are a few final details to sort out with the police.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Which area was it that he was seen tipping into?
0:39:27 > 0:39:31- He's been seen tipping on Higher Lane.- Higher Lane?
0:39:31 > 0:39:36- Do you know the Everton Cemetery? It's the back of there.- OK.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38And that's been twice?
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Yeah, 16th April and 21st April.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Right, time to get down to business.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Will anyone open the door at the flats?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57The police are inside but will they find the man?
0:39:59 > 0:40:06As the minutes tick by, all Gary and Steve can do is sit, watch and wait.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18But then it's the result they wanted. The man has been arrested.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23They've bagged their filthy scoundrel and Steve is one happy man.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It's a good result, the fact that he's been arrested.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Now part one is done.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Part two is the interview, see what he has to say. Part three is hopefully getting charged.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Part four to court.
0:40:35 > 0:40:41Tick one box off, anyway. You could see he was fully loaded, tipping off before he goes to his next job.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44So we've caught him before he's probably tipped again.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Now it's Steve and Gary's turn to swing into action.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49It's time to interview him.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52They're going to try to get the man to admit to his crimes.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55They think he's responsible for all of those fly-tips.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00Normally if there's a feeling that there may be a threat off the people we bring in,
0:41:00 > 0:41:05we ask a police officer to sit in, just for safety reasons.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08I don't think this guy's going to give us any problems.
0:41:10 > 0:41:17Gary and Steve have been through this many times before, but they never know how it will turn out.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23It's not long before it they've got some news.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28We've interviewed him regarding the two incidents and he fully admitted both of them.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31He basically said he was stupid for doing it.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36He hasn't got a licence, he's not registered with the Environment Agency which is the same thing.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38He's just... "Yes, it was me."
0:41:38 > 0:41:41I even asked him if he had any defence as to why he put the waste there
0:41:41 > 0:41:43and he said, "No, I just did it."
0:41:43 > 0:41:45He was prolific. We've had dealings with him in the past.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49He's obviously not learnt his lesson because he's still out and about.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51We know it's him because it's the same sort of stuff
0:41:51 > 0:41:53but we've just never had the evidence to prove it was him.
0:41:53 > 0:42:01Now we've got it so hopefully the justice system will pick up on it and punish him for this as well.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04I will be asking
0:42:04 > 0:42:06if we can have the vehicle seized, crushed if possible,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09but that's not for me to say if that will happen or not.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13If we hadn't had the CCTV cameras we wouldn't have got him,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16because there's no evidence in the stuff he's been tipping.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19So they have come up trumps.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Steve and Gary's hard work, determination
0:42:22 > 0:42:27and of course the CCTV footage, all came together very nicely.
0:42:27 > 0:42:33The man was found guilty and had to pay £900 compensation and £500 costs.
0:42:33 > 0:42:39He must also carry out 100 hours' unpaid work and his white van has been ordered to be destroyed.
0:42:39 > 0:42:45I would say the chances of this scoundrel fly-tipping again are pretty slim.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Join us next time for more filthy rotten scoundrels.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:01 > 0:43:05E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk