'We're watching you'... covert team patrolling streets for flytippers

VOLUNTEER RESIDENTS ARE STAKING OUT DUMPING HOTSPOTS

- By LOUIS CORBETT

A member of the anonymous group next to a 'no dumping' sign at a hotspot for flytipping in Sneinton The road volunteers call "Fridge Street" is regularly monitored An example of what the group find on a daily basis

“WE operate covertly, we watch from cars, windows, and we have cameras’, explains Dave - not his real name - as he walks through the streets of Sneinton.

Dave and his team of around eight Nottingham residents have been covertly catching flytippers for years, aiming to clean up their area with the help of the local authority.

The team are not employed by the council or police. They patrol the streets of Sneinton, going from road to road, reporting dumped items and staking out hotspots, where serial flytippers have been known to strike.

While they all operate independently, the anonymous residents liaise with each other to determine which area has seen a rise in reports and which streets need extra attention, whether from their patrols or their cameras.

They regularly check the NG3 area.

Dave and his team have decided to stay anonymous due to past threats, including an incident where a suspected fly-tipper pulled a hatchet from his car after he saw Dave watching him.