Cannabis offshoots, animal carcasses and firearms are just some of the things Wiltshire Council’s enforcement officers say they have found dumped at reported fly-tipping sites.

The team describe the most challenging part of their job as 'rummaging through dirty nappies and maggots on summer days to find evidence in someone else’s rubbish'.

They say this evidence is crucial for them to be able to 'catch the criminals dumping their waste across the county in an average of 200 fly-tips a month'.

The officers, who can’t be named for safety reasons, are on the frontlines of a crackdown which has led to an increase in enforcement actions punishing those responsible.

READ MORE: Over 2,700 reports of fly tipping in Wiltshire in one year

Offenders can be issued with a £1,000 fine for fly-tipping.Offenders can be issued with a £1,000 fine for fly-tipping. (Image: Jessica Moriarty) “I actually enjoy going through the waste and trying to find that evidential material, and that’s when the real investigation starts,” says an officer, on their way to look into a report in Warminster.

The alert came through to the team via MyWilts, the online reporting service.

The waste was dumped in a private field.The waste was dumped in a private field. (Image: Jessica Moriarty) “We rely on the public to be our eyes and ears,” they add, referring to a reward scheme for witnesses.

Once on-site, the officers are faced with a large amount of waste dumped in a private field and begin searching for clues.

If they’re lucky, they’ll find something like a receipt or a letter that will lead them to an address or CCTV footage, they said. 

The officer hunting for evidence.The officer hunting for evidence. (Image: Jessica Moriarty) According to the team, they once tracked a household down through information on a Domino’s pizza box and picked up on a lead through CCTV from a betting shop.

Wiltshire Council now has a total of 16 cameras of its own across the county, overt and covert, designed to catch offenders at fly-tip hot spots.

These cameras were secured through the council’s We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, which launched in 2022 following an extra investment of £150,000 each year for three years to tackle fly-tipping and environmental crime in the county.

The team said the motivation behind most fly-tipping is profit.The team said the motivation behind most fly-tipping is profit. (Image: Jessica Moriarty) The WTF campaign led to Wiltshire Council winning the Environmental Campaign of the Year Award at the Keep Britain Tidy Awards in 2024.

Officers had no luck with finding evidence at the Warminster site after digging through some bags which contained a heap of construction and household waste, ranging from a burnt-out fridge to piles of roof slates.

SEE ALSO: Three fines for Devizes business illegally disposing of waste

“The next step is to contact the landowner,” an officer explains.

They note that some landowners accept cash from people advertising as a “man with a van” and burn the waste for them in exchange.

The most common source of fly-tipping involves rubbish being passed along to someone who claims they will dispose of it correctly.

Wiltshire Council’s Stop at Source (SAS) message makes it clear that the responsibility lies with both parties.

According to the team, officers spend about half their time on-site and half their time working in the office.According to the team, officers spend about half their time on-site and half their time working in the office. 

If the person someone gives their waste to then fly-tips, the householder could be liable for a £600 fixed penalty notice or prosecution.

Individuals should check for a waste carrier licence, take down vehicle registration and details, and get a receipt.

The fixed penalty rate for small scale fly-tipping offences was recently raised from £400 to £1,000 and if the case goes to court, offenders risk an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

Wiltshire Council’s enforcement team receives training on conducting interviews under caution and works closely with Wiltshire Police who can arrest those refusing to attend interviews.  

A positive outcome can be very rewarding for the enforcement team, an officer explains, when proving the guiltiness of an individual who has been “obstructive”.

The officer adds: “For the environment enforcement team, our number one priority is fly-tipping, it’s a real priority for the council.”

Despite the scale of the Warminster fly-tip, the officers note it is smaller than many others they have experienced.