Havering Council is cracking down on fly-tippers – including those duped by fake waste collectors.

Residents are being warned to make sure they are not being conned by scammers masquerading as legitimate binmen when they pay someone to dump their rubbish.

If their waste later turns up fly-tipped, individuals risk prosecution, prison, and a substantial fine.

Cabinet member for environment Cllr Robert Benham said: “Residents have to be very 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 – basically, a receipt.

“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.”

One man ended up with council officers on his doorstep after they traced dump rubbish back to him, the council said.

He had unwittingly arranged for a skip-load of asbestos to be disposed of by flytippers.

Quizzed by officials, he produced a fake waste transfer note and revealed he’d paid £1,100 for the pleasure.

“In this case it was clear the resident had been duped, and sadly, he wasn’t the only one,” said Cllr Benham.

“Residents can be sure they’re not being conned by ensuring they only use registered waste carriers, which they can find on the Environment Agency website.

“It’s especially important that residents take a bit of time to check everything properly, because many are obviously trying to do the right thing by paying for it, but then getting stung when they find out what’s actually happened.”

Havering is cracking down on flytipping as part of its cleaner Havering campaign.

Anyone with information about fly-tipping is asked to come forward by reporting it to the council online at www.havering.gov.uk/reportit. You can also contact police on 101, the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or Havering Council on 01708 432563.