A fly-tipping hotspot has been "almost eradicated" following the introduction of new high tech litter cameras.

Dartford council installed the new CCTV technology at Birchwood five months ago in a bid to crackdown on an increase in flytipping.

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Closed waste facilities and household clear outs amid the lockdown had led to a surge in discarded rubbish.

Shocking images released by the local authority's waste team revealed the extent of the problem at a bottle bank near the golf club on Birchwood Road.

But now after contracting the use of new WasteWatch Cam ANPR technology it says the issue has been "almost eradicated" at the flytipping hotspot – and it now plans to roll-out the tech to other areas across Dartford.

Unlike other CCTV, the camera not only detects the car or person on-site – as well as the item they are discarding – but also identifies the offender in "real-time".

This data is then raised as an instant alert, with all the supporting details, passed to an enforcement team.

According to its creator, Kingdom Systems the new tech, which makes use of number plate recognition, ensures the individual is "held accountable".

Previously, authorities would need to spend time trawling through the rubbish to find any proof of addresses that could link the fly-tipper to the offence, then spend money clearing the rubbish.

But now, it claims immediate action can be taken to issue fines and warnings, and where that is not followed through, further action through the courts.

So far, the cameras has led to 11 fixed penalty notices being issued for flytipping in the Birchwood area and another four cases are under investigation.

Its success led the council to deploy the same technology in New Barn earlier this month and it hopes further deployment across the borough will "bring similar results".

Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite said: “The criminals who do this have no respect for either the environment or the decent society that everyone else wants to live in and once they step outside the law we will use every means at our disposal to identify and fine them.

“Here in Dartford we detect more flytipping offences than anywhere else in the county and we use a variety of methods to catch the criminals responsible.

The Tory leader added: "Some flytippers are not the sharpest tools in the box and leave evidence behind to trace them, but sadly some don’t. The use of cameras is another tool in our armoury to stop them.

“Our environmental enforcement team are incredibly proactive in cleaning up the rubbish and either issuing fines or taking the perpetrators to court.”

In April, the council sought to lobby the Prime Minister for more powers to fine people caught fly-tipping.

It called to increase the fees beyond the current set limit of £250, the rough equivalent of hiring a six-yard skip in Kent.

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