Redbridge Council has issued 400 lots of £400 penalties for fly-tipping this year.

Councillor Sheila Bain, cabinet member for civic pride, said too much time and money is spent clearing up waste.

“It beggars belief that in a borough that still has free bulky waste collections, anyone feels the need to use the cover of night to dump rubbish on our streets,” she said.

“£400 isn’t a price worth paying when residents can have their old mattresses, furniture or white goods picked up for free.”

Fly-tippers are caught in several ways including through eagle-eyed CCTV operatives flagging up suspicious behaviour and enforcement officers sifting through rubbish and finding clues to identify the culprit.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to those who continue to flout the law and disrespect the borough’s people and environment,” Cllr Bain said.

“They face far heftier fines and penalties when we use the full weight of the legal system against them.”