Drivers guilty of fly-tipping are on the radar as part of a London-wide scheme to tackle perpetrators.

Havering Council officers teamed up with the police last week in an attempt to crackdown on motorists, in Straight Road, Harold Hill, pulling over and inspecting both random and suspected drivers to check for possible illegal activity.

Enforcement officer, Jeff Chandler, said: “Residents have to be equally careful, if they ask someone to collect their rubbish for them, they must ask to see a waste carrier licence and also request a waste transfer note.

“If we find waste that has been dumped and trace it back to a resident, we can prosecute them if they don’t have documents to show they took all the right steps to get rid of it legitimately.”

The council spends about £12 million a year on fly-tipping issues and in 2013, 3,620 offences were recorded in Havering – the 14th highest number of incidents compared to other London boroughs.

But Havering has the fourth highest amount of enforcement action being taken in London and the council continues to act on these crimes, with officers stopping about 100 cars each month.

Mr Chandler said: “Any fly tipping is too much quite frankly, even though we do fair quite well compared to other London boroughs, especially given that we live in the third largest.”

The council is now stressing the importance role residents play in stopping the problem, asking for reports of fly-tipping to be made immediately.

Cllr Robert Benham, cabinet member for environment, said: “Private land owners shouldn’t have to bear the cost of clearing a fly-tip, and neither should the public purse.

“That’s why we ask people to keep their eyes and ears open, and report anything suspicious. This will help us, the police and the Environment Agency to catch offenders so they can be brought to justice.”