Hertfordshire police have seized a van during a crackdown on fly-tipping in Bushey and Radlett.

The vehicle - involved in collecting scrap metal - was confiscated for having no tax, no insurance, no waste carriers' licence and no scrap licence.

Officers in Hertsmere have been working with environmental health colleagues to tackle fly-tipping in the area.

This has involved targeting hotspots, identifying people involved and putting prevention measures in place.

Dedicated patrols have also been carried out, to check waste carrier licences, with a number of warnings and fines issued as a result.

PC Michael Morris said: "Fly-tipping is not only an eyesore but is also hazardous to health.

"It can cause unpleasant smells, attract pests and create a dangerous environment for children, road users and wildlife.

"There is also a great cost to the tax payer to get fly-tipping removed.

“I hope these dedicated patrols and operations reassure people that we are working closely with our partners at the council to tackle the issue and identify those involved. We will continue to do all we can to deter offenders and keep Hertsmere safe.”

Cllr Christian Gray added: "Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities.

"We are working hard with the police, landowners and other partners to tackle this.

"This joint operation is a great example of that.

“Fly-tipping, which can be anything from a single bag to an entire truck load of rubbish, not only causes harm to the environment, it diverts valuable resources from the delivery of frontline services.

“Everyone has a duty of care to ensure their household waste is disposed of correctly.

"Remember, if it's your waste, it's your responsibility.

"Our advice is always get a receipt for any waste that you ask to be disposed of and check that the person doing the disposing has a waste carrier's licence.

"If in doubt give our Environmental Health team a call on 020 8207 2277.

“Residents can help us by reporting incidents of fly-tipping to the council.

"Any information will be treated in strict confidence.”

Those who witness fly-tipping in progress have been urged to call 999.