Middlesbrough Borough Council is going to hit fly-tippers in the pocket.

Cleansing department officials already search through fly-tippers' waste looking for clues to offenders' addresses.

Culprits found out will be charged £300 for having their rubbish swept up by the council and properly disposed of.

A council spokesman said: "We are always on the look-out, but we do rely on local residents to be our eyes and ears. It's a big town and we can't be everywhere at once.

"We will work on the principle that people leaving a mess will pay to clean it up.

"In the past when we have had fly-tipping we have sifted through bags, searching for an envelope or documents to give us an address to trace them.

"We are not novices in this, and the gloves are off. These people are costing the town's council tax payers.