A fly-tipper in Thurrock has paid a heavy price for illegal waste dumping after their lorry was crushed by the council.
The vehicle was caught on camera dumping waste in The Lawns, East Tilbury, last October.
After being confiscated in January, the lorry was destroyed last week when the owner failed to come forward to claim it.
The crushing forms part of Thurrock Council's tough stance on illegal waste disposal in the borough.
The council tracked down thefFly-tippers truck and ordered for it to be destroyed
Thurrock Council
Local authorities spend hundreds of thousands of pounds annually clearing illegally dumped waste.
The council has emphasised that all fly-tipping incidents are investigated, with evidence being used to hold offenders accountable.
Cllr Victoria Holloway, Cabinet member for Place and the Environment, said: "This should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks it is okay to use Thurrock as a dumping ground for their waste.
"We investigate all fly-tips, and when evidence is found, action is taken to hold those responsible to account.
"There is no possibility that the driver of this lorry will ever be able to use it to dump waste again.
"Fly-tipping is a selfish and criminal act, each year we have to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear up the waste that illegally dumped in the borough.
"It is completely unacceptable and we will always seek to hold those that break the law to account."
The council hailed the crushing of the vehicle as demonstrating its zero-tolerance approach to environmental crime.
The council said the crushing of the fly-tippers truck served as a warning to other criminals
Thurrock council
Thurrock Council has issued 223 Fixed Penalty Notices for fly-tipping offences in the last 12 months.
The Government data for 2023/24 shows fly-tipping incidents have increased across England.
England recorded 1.5 million incidents of illegal dumping during this period with many Britons expressing outrage at what they describe as the "horrendous" state of the country regarding litter and illegal waste.
The decline in enforcement actions is particularly concerning for environmental campaigners.
Enforcement actions carried out by local authorities across England dropped from 530,000 to 528,000.
Scott Gibbins, a self-described "very keen litter picker" and member of Leicestershire Litter Wombles, expressed concern about the national situation.
"The thing I keep banging on about pride. There's no pride any more," he told GB News.
He pointed to the state of areas around shops, car parks and businesses as evidence of the problem.
"It's absolutely horrendous," he said.
The number of fixed penalty notices issued across England was 63,000 in 2023/24.
This represents a five per cent decrease from 67,000 in the previous year.
"I think most people have become litter blind because we're just so used to seeing it," Gibbins added.
The contrast between Thurrock's enforcement approach and the national decline in penalties highlights varying local authority responses to the growing problem.