'I guarantee we get fly-tipping every week'

A farmer who barricaded suspected fly-tippers in Warwickshire says he is "livid" because the issue happens at least once a week.

Two vans dumped large piles of rubbish on Maxstoke Lane on the Packington Estate near Meriden in what Warwickshire Police described as "some of the worst fly-tipping we had seen in a long time".

Adam Beaty caught them in the act and helped to block in the vehicles until police arrived.

Two men were detained at the scene and later released while inquiries continue.

"He was quite abusive to me initially, and then my son came up in a pick-up behind me and he went quiet, then jumped in the van and tried to turn around to speed off," Mr Beaty recalled.

The farmer and his son say they chased the offenders for about one mile before they were able to stop them with the help of a gamekeeper and his brother.

He added: "It makes me livid, to be honest.

"I can guarantee that at least once a week we will get an issue with fly-tipping, whether it be one bin bag, some tyres, drug paraphernalia, mattresses, we get everything."

While residents say they have noticed a rise in fly-tipping in Warwickshire, many urban and rural areas have also been affected.

Between 2022 and 2023, local councils dealt with 1.08 million fly-tipping incidents, a slight decrease of 1% from the previous year, the latest figures released from Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have shown.

However, these figures only show part of the problem, as they relate to public land.

Any rubbish dumped on private land becomes the problem of that landowner, who usually has to cover the cost of clearing it away.

Warwickshire Police thanked the villagers for their efforts but urged members of the public to not put themselves at risk, and instead call the police, as offenders sometimes dispose of hazardous waste.

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