A FLY-TIPPER has been branded “incredibly irresponsible” after dumping an unwanted caravan in a field gateway on the Westwood Road from Trowbridge.

The caravan was left in the gateway mid-morning on Saturday, November 3 between 11am and midday.

By the time Monday had come round, vandals had opened the door to drag outside the base of a bed and other furniture.

Wiltshire Council was informed and by mid-week the caravan had been towed away and the site cleared.

But not before a Wiltshire Council warning that it would crack down heavily on fly-tippers who can be identified by the items they leave behind.

A council spokesman said: “Vehicle abandonment on this scale is incredibly irresponsible.

“We promptly arranged for the dumped caravan to be removed, under our powers to remove abandoned vehicles.

“We are committed to the crackdown on waste crime and have a good track record of finding those responsible.

“It is a significant blight on our environment, but our message is clear – there is no hiding place.”

Since May 2016, the council has been able to issue on-the-spot fines to anyone caught fly-tipping.

Changes to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 two years ago now allow the council to issue fixed penalty notices.

The first person to receive a fixed penalty notice of £400 was a man from Salisbury.

The spokesman added: “The change provides local authorities with a more efficient and proportionate response to small-scale fly-tipping of waste.”

Cllr Philip Whitehead, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “Fly-tipping is a significant blight on our local environment, a source of pollution, a potential danger to public health, a hazard to wildlife, and it is a drain on the council’s precious resources.”

The council has been cracking down hard on fly-tippers who can be identified by any names, addresses they leave behind in rubbish dumped on verges and farmland.

Local farmers have also begun to take down details to supply to the council for potential prosecution.

Residents can report any suspected abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping by calling 0300 456 0100 or online at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywiltshire-online-reporting