Barking and Dagenham’s controversial “wall of shame” catches fly-tippers

The council think you catch more fly-tippers with cameras than honey (Credit: LBBD)

A “unique” web series by Barking and Dagenham council has helped catch a trio of fly-tippers.

The Wall of Shame has attracted 300,000 views by publicising footage of fly-tipping incidents from around the borough.

An average of “just under one fly-tipper” is caught as a result of each of the 57 videos, the council have claimed.

The pioneering series premiered in August 2018 and has so far highlighted 500 instances of the offending.

The three culprits were spotted by council cameras on Devon Road and had their identities confirmed by a resident.

Their identities have not yet been confirmed by the “grime crime” team who manage the Wall of Shame.

But five Fixed Penalty Notices were handed out to them totalling £1,000 as one had been caught fly-tipping several times.

The fine for the crime is £400, and £150 for littering.

Cllr Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Public Safety, said: “It is great to see the council’s unique approach to tackling fly-tipping paying off, and I hope that this makes people think twice about fly-tipping in Barking and Dagenham – you will be caught.

“The vast majority of residents want to live in a clean borough but, unfortunately, they’re let down by the few who think it’s okay to dump their waste on our streets. I’m proud to say that we as a council are taking the fight to fly-tippers and fining them like this shows that.”

But a relative of a fly-tipper featured on the show claimed last year they were driven from the borough as a result of the “humiliation”.

A postcard sent to Barking Council about the Wall of Shame (Credit: LBBD)

“You humiliated a member of my family on your Wall of Shame and in response I moved my family out of the borough,” wrote the anonymous author.

The letter was addressed to “The Tosser, or Tossers, Responsible for the Fly Tipping Wall of Shame Website”.

The Leader of the Council Cllr Darren Rodwell shared an image of the letter on Facebook and wrote: “Thanks for the free publicity, and I hope you’ll be treating your new borough with the respect it deserves.”

A still from one video which labels one offender “a moron” (Credit: LBBD)

Residents can email grimecrime@lbbd.gov.uk if they think they recognise anyone featured on the show.