More than 60 vehicles were stopped during an operation which aimed to combat fly-tipping across a district.

Selected drivers were told to pull over into a car park in Maple Cross last Wednesday as part of a multi-agency operation in Three Rivers.

Over a four-hour period, representatives from the police, district council, county council, and Environment Agency, spoke to 69 drivers.

Their vehicles were checked to ensure they were road safe and they were also quizzed on how to dispose of waste legally.

Watford Observer:

A challenge the authorities are trying to solve is stopping rogue tradesmen from picking up rubbish from unsuspecting households before later dumping it instead of disposing it properly.

Sergeant Neil Canning, who leads the Rickmansworth and Croxley Green safer neighbourhood team, said: "Those who feel they are entitled to dump rubbish illegally have a hugely negative impact on the environment.

"Therefore high-visibility partnership work like Wednesday’s operation is essential in making the district a hostile operating environment for criminals who wish to commit this type of offence.

"We are very pleased to say that the majority of motorists we stopped were adhering to the procedures around the disposal of waste. We recorded several intelligence reports and also used our stop and search powers where appropriate in order to check those who we stopped were in possession of the correct documentation for legal waste disposal.

"We’d like to thank the public for the patience they showed while we were conducting our operation and we hope they felt reassured by our presence."

If you witness flytipping, call 999 and take down a registration vehicle and take a photo if safe to do so.

Contact your local borough council if you come across flytipping that has already taken place.

Visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/flytipping for further information and advice.