Fed-up farmer catches serial fly-tippers by blocking them in with a car, tractor AND forklift truck – forcing them to flee and leave their van behind
- Steve Jones, 65, snared suspects at Harvel House Farm, near Meopham, Kent
- He noticed they dumped rubbish at 9.45am every day and waited inside his car
- Mr Jones and his sons Trevor and Jos confronted suspects and boxed them in
A farmer caught alleged fly-tippers in the act by blocking them in with a car, tractor and forklift truck when they attempted to dump rubbish on his private land.
Steve Jones, 65, and his sons snared the suspects at Harvel House Farm near Meopham, Kent, while residents elsewhere caught another in action on Blue Bell Hill.
The farmer noticed that rubbish was left on his land at the same time everyday, and so decided to head down to the location to see if he could catch them in the act.
After sitting in wait, the suspects turned up at around 9.45am as expected.
Mr Jones blocked them in with his car, before his sons Trevor and Jos joined him in a tractor and a rough-terrain forklift and trapped them on the land.
He told KentOnline: ‘We wouldn’t go a month without fly-tipping generally. It ranges from people clearing out their shed to people who are doing it serially.
Steve Jones, 65, and his sons, block fly-tippers in with a tractor, forklift truck and a car after catching them trying to dump rubbish on their private land in Kent
‘It’s quite regular, but this lot were coming every day, which was a bit silly of them because it made them easy to catch.
‘We knew roughly what sort of time they were coming, so I got there about 9..45am.
‘They turned up and we saw them go past. They were incredibly quick. By the time I got the car down there, they were on their way out.
‘I got on the walkie talkie, and the boys and some of the staff turned up. I didn’t close the gates, I just parked the car across the gateway so they couldn’t get out.
‘They weren’t best pleased. One of them just walked straight off, he wasn’t hanging around. The other one remonstrated with me.
‘He told me to get out of the way, and then he got on his phone to get some other people. Then he said “I’m just going to smash out past you”.
‘I said “that’s why I bought a £200 car”. He went up the bank but lost traction on his wheels and couldn’t move. My two boys were coming with tractors, so we boxed him in so he couldn’t get out.
‘I’m glad we didn’t get too carried away. I was really nice to them actually. I said “you know you’re not supposed to be doing this. Pick it back up and take it away”. They said “no we’re coming out”.’
The driver then reluctantly left the scene too, leaving behind the tipper van to be seized by police.
Residents elsewhere caught another suspected fly-tipper in action on Blue Bell Hill
Colin, who didn’t share his surname, said his daughter noticed a truck loaded with rubbish travelling down their road on Thursday and pursued it in his Land Rover
Kent Police confirmed they were called to the dispute at 10.46am last Friday.
A spokesman said in a statement: ‘The dispute involved a land owner and two men who are alleged to have fly-tipped on the land.
‘During the dispute, one of the alleged fly-tippers attempted to harm the land owner before they left the scene on foot.
‘Officers attended and seized a vehicle, which had been driven to the scene by the man who made the threats.
‘Inquiries into the threatening behaviour are ongoing.’
Mr Jones praised the police and Gravesham Council, who also attended, for their swift action and hoped the suspects are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, another local caught a suspected fly-tipper in action at a spot near his home on Blue Bell Hill.
Colin, who didn’t share his surname, said his daughter noticed a truck loaded with rubbish travelling down their road on Thursday and pursued it in his Land Rover.
When confronted, those inside the Ford Transit Tipper denied they were planning to dump the rubbish. They were later caught doing just that.