There can be few spectacles more satisfying than watching the seized vehicle of a flytipper being crushed! Flytipping costs residents of Stoke-on-Trent hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to clean up, all through the selfishness of individuals who feel they are above the rules the rest of us abide by.
Whilst clearly as a council we want to keep our city clean and tidy, it’s important to send a strong message around deterrence of those who feel it’s ok to flytip, as well as reassuring residents that we always act on information we receive.
This white van is suspected of being linked to the flytipping of 1,000 gallons of engine oil dumped in Tunstall on 4 June. It was seized several days later by the council, and despite inviting the owner to collect it, they have failed to do so. We therefore decided to crush the vehicle as a warning to others who think they can flytip with impunity in Stoke-on-Trent.
I was joined at the crushing by Cllr Carl Edwards, portfolio holder for the Environment, and a number of members of the media, including the Sentinel and Radio Stoke, both of whom covered the story here and here.
