Hidden cameras will be installed at fly-tipping hot-spots across Fenland to catch perpetrators in the act.

In a bid to catch and prosecute offenders, Fenland District Council has brought covert cameras, which will be installed this month at known fly-tipping sites including Dykemoor Drove in Doddington.

The cameras can only be used for targeted surveillance with magistrates’ permission but they can be used to gather vital information about culprits that can be used to prosecute.

The council has not made a single prosecution for fly-tipping in seven years and the clear up team costs tax payers £75,000 per year.

Annabel Tighe, Fenland District Council’s environmental health manager, in a letter to MP Steve Barclay, said: “The council has recently purchased its own surveillance cameras. Training on the installation and use of these cameras is taking place in January after which time the cameras will be deployed in priority locations.”

Mr Barclay says the cameras are a “welcome breakthrough” and a clear sign the council is taking a “tougher approach” on fly-tipping.

He said: “This is great news and something I have been pushing for in recent months.

“Fly-tipping is a serious issue and costs taxpayers significant amounts of money each year. There have been over 600 incidents of fly tipping reported in the last year.

“There is a cost to landowners who have to pay to have rubbish removed from their land.

“Fly-tipping also causes considerable distress, so it is only right that FDC seeks to prosecute those responsible for this crime.

“I particularly welcome the renewed focus, including purchasing covert CCTV, which sends a clear message that the council is taking a tougher approach to this in the months ahead.”