'Shop a fly-tipper' scheme swaps vouchers for info

People in Wolverhampton are being urged to take advantage of a scheme which gives out £100 gift vouchers for information leading to the conviction of fly-tippers.

As part of efforts to share how the blight spoils the area, the city council has highlighted a recent court case in which a man was convicted after dumping a pile of waste from the back of a van at a community centre.

Brendon Garner, 46, of Blaze Park, Kingswinford, unloaded mixed household and garden waste, a builder's bag of vegetation and an armchair on to land at Blakenhall Resource Centre in April 2025. A community sentence was issued.

The council is now showcasing its Shop a Tipper scheme as it seeks to cut down on incidents.

The Shop a Tipper campaign promises £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton gift cards to people who supply information about fly tipping which leads to a successful prosecution or penalty fines.

The council said Garner's van was identified after one of its own environmental crime team spotted a white van which looked similar to the one seen on security camera footage.

Both vehicles had a rear light which was not working and when the council seized the vehicle, it found a number of other matches.

Police confirmed the registered keeper, and only named person on the insurance, was Garner.

The council said when questioned, he denied the vehicle was his.

But when he was asked about a notebook found in the vehicle with details of another waste job in Wolverhampton, with a phone number and comment "£250 DONE", Garner refused to say more.

He was found guilty at Dudley Magistrates Court of disposing of waste from a motor vehicle without authority and was sentenced on 18 May.

He was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work, with 20 rehabilitation days.

He was also disqualified from driving for 6 months, had his vehicle taken away, and was ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

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