Hampshire fly tippers get truck stuck on mountain of rubbish while illegally ditching waste

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Dumb and DUMPER! Bungling fly tippers get truck stuck while illegally ditching waste at Hampshire beauty spot – before asking for their van back claiming they had ‘broken down’

  • Owners were forced to abandon their vehicle after dumping illegal waste  
  • They called park officials next day and claimed the truck had broken down  
  • Local said it looked like bolt cutters had been used on gate locks to park  

By Isabella Nikolic For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Bungling fly-tippers found themselves stuck in a pile of rubbish while illegally ditching waste at a Hampshire beauty spot before asking for their van back and claiming they had broken down. 

The owners of the van were forced to abandon their vehicle after trying to dump illegal waste at Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Clanfield in Hampshire late last Wednesday night. 

They called park officials the next day and asked for the truck back after claiming it had broken down even though half of the van’s load had already been dumped on the ground. 

The owners of the van were forced to abandon their vehicle after trying to dump illegal waste at Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Clanfield in Hampshire late last Wednesday night

Martin Montague, the founder of an app called ClearWaste which lets users report fly-tipping and recommends licensed waste removers, has since spoken out on the issue. 

He said that it looked like bolt cutters had been used to break the locks on the park’s gates. 

Mr Montague, who appeared on the BBC’s Panorama last night, said: These fly-tippers got stuck at a council country park in Hampshire.

‘They claim they ”broke down” and now they are asking for their van back.

They called park officials the next day and asked for the truck back after claiming it had broken down even though half of the van's load had already been dumped on the ground

They called park officials the next day and asked for the truck back after claiming it had broken down even though half of the van’s load had already been dumped on the ground

Pictured: The truck which got stuck while fly-tipping

Pictured: The truck which got stuck while fly-tipping 

‘Should the council prosecute them and crush it – or give it back?’

He added: ‘This fly-tipper obviously thought he could get away with dumping this load of rubbish on land at Queen Elizabeth Country Park leaving us taxpayers with the clear-up bill.

‘We get hundreds of reports of fly-tipping on our app every day and giving people alternatives than using dodgy unlicensed traders they find on social media will help to stop lots of incidents of fly-tipping.’  

Martin Montague, the founder of an app called ClearWaste which lets users report fly-tipping and recommends licensed waste removers, has since spoken out on the issue. He said that it looked like bolt cutters had been used to break the locks on the park's gates

Martin Montague, the founder of an app called ClearWaste which lets users report fly-tipping and recommends licensed waste removers, has since spoken out on the issue. He said that it looked like bolt cutters had been used to break the locks on the park’s gates

He added: 'This fly-tipper obviously thought he could get away with dumping this load of rubbish on land at Queen Elizabeth Country Park leaving us taxpayers with the clear-up bill'

He added: ‘This fly-tipper obviously thought he could get away with dumping this load of rubbish on land at Queen Elizabeth Country Park leaving us taxpayers with the clear-up bill’

He told The News: ‘We want a crush and prosecution… We now hope Hampshire County Council (which owns the country park) pursues this.’

‘They were obviously fly-tipping when they got stuck. It was a big tipper truck that was so heavily laden with illegal stuff that it got stuck when it went over a mound of fly-tipping.’ 

Councillor Rob Humby, deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and environment at Hampshire County Council, said: ‘Our Countryside team is working with the Police and East Hampshire District Council on this incident at Queen Elizabeth Country Park and are arranging for the fly-tipped waste material and the truck to be removed and dealt with appropriately. 

‘There is no excuse for fly-tipping, it’s a criminal offence, and we are committed to working with our partners and Hampshire’s communities to tackle this blight on our countryside. 

‘In order to bring about successful prosecutions, our district and borough colleagues need evidence, such as witness statements and photos. It’s really important that residents report fly-tipped waste if they see it, but if people see criminals in the act of fly-tipping, I must be clear that they should not approach them and put themselves in danger but should call the Police.’

‘In Hampshire, we have made it as easy as possible for people to dispose of waste responsibly, legally and conveniently. Household waste can be taken for free by householders to our large network of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), which continue to operate effectively and efficiently for Hampshire residents. We’ve also opened up most HWRCs to small businesses as a convenient and cost-effective alternative to commercial waste transfer stations.’

How fly tipping has soared since first Covid lockdown

Fly-tipping incidents have increased sharply since the first lockdown in March last year. 

Reports of illegal waste dumping in rural communities increased by 300 per cent shortly after the first lockdown started, with a combination of people clearing out their homes and the closure of recycling centres blamed for the sharp rise. 

There were 976,000 incidents of fly-tipping on public land in England in the year 2019-2020 – a two per cent increase on the previous year. 

However these figures do not include incidents of illegal dumping on private land or large-scale incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency.

Environment minister Rebecca Pow told ITV: ‘Fly-tipping is completely unacceptable and these cynical offenders need to know that councils are taking increasing action and that they face on-the-spot fines of £400 or up to five years in prison if convicted in court. 

‘We are committed to tackling waste crime even further, but there is more that we must all do,’ she said.

‘Everyone has a legal duty of care when handling waste, and all householders and businesses must ensure that they pass their waste to licensed carriers, as failure to do so could result in a £400 fine.’