Suspected fly-tippers targeted in police crackdown
BBCPolice and Environment Agency officers have been stopping vehicles during a targeted operation to prevent waste from being illegally dumped.
The BBC was invited to observe as multiple lorries and vans were pulled over on the A31 in Dorset over the course of a morning.
One person was arrested after a positive drugs test, and officers issued nine tickets for various other offences. These included driving an overweight vehicle, carrying an insecure load, and driving without insurance.
EA enforcement officer Clive Clasby urged the public to check who they were hiring to dispose of waste.
"If you're paying someone to take waste away, which could be a tradesperson or a man with a van, make sure they are a registered waste carrier," he said.
The joint operation was designed to target those who may be carrying illegal waste and to undertake wider road safety checks.
Drivers of vans, trailers and HGVs were diverted into a Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) checkpoint, where some were asked to drive onto a weighbridge so officers could assess the weight of their loads.
Other inspections focused on load security, axle weight, tyres, lights and brakes.
PC Jez Stoddard, from Dorset Police's Commercial Vehicle Unit, said vehicles carrying excess weight posed a clear risk.
"Overweight vehicles could be out of control on the road because the vehicles don't have the capacity to carry excess weight," he said.
"We've got to ensure that those goods are carried according to how they should be carried safely on the road so they don't present a risk to the public."
Environment Agency teams examined the loads being transported by each driver.
One van was found carrying car batteries, a gearbox, a wheelbarrow and other scrap metal.
Because the load was unsecured, officers instructed the driver to place netting over the top.
The vehicle was also overweight, meaning the driver had to unload part of the scrap at the checkpoint and return later to collect the rest.
EA enforcement officer Clasby said there were no concerns about where the waste was destined to be taken, but officers would continue to monitor the driver.
"He is not doing anything wrong at the moment and in terms of where the waste is going, it is going to an approved site," he said.
"He's collected waste from a domestic residence hence the bits of washing machine and that is perfectly legal - he is a registered waste carrier.
"That being said it is always good to know what people are doing and where."
