The district council is helping lead the way in the countywide fight against fly-tipping.

Braintree Council has helped to launch Love Essex's #CrimeNotToCare campaign, reminding residents they could unwittingly end up with a criminal record and face an unlimited fine if a rogue trader dumps their waste illegally.

New figures, released as part of the campaign, reveal across the Braintree District there has been a drop in reported fly-tipping cases of seven per cent.

There were 724 cases in the financial year 2016 to 2017, compared to 775 between 2015 and 2016.

Despite this, across the whole of Essex there has been an increase across Essex of 16 per cent, costing the taxpayer more than £1million.

The #CrimeNotToCare campaigner is a new joint initiative run by a partnership of Essex councils, businesses and environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Wendy Schmitt, councillor responsible for environment and place at Braintree Council, said: "We need the public to understand their rubbish is their responsibility and they must do the right thing with it.

"Giving it to a man with a van who offers to get rid of it cheaply could prove costly for people and result in them getting a criminal record.”

The new figures also show the number of prosecutions where residents waste has been tracked back to them is also on the rise.

Simon Walsh, Essex County Councillor responsible for environment and waste, said: "Almost 50 per cent of people don’t know they’re responsible by law if their rubbish is fly-tipped by a third party.

"We hope CrimeNotToCare will educate people on how to dispose of their waste correctly to ensure they don’t end up with a criminal record and a hefty fine.”

Ensure you don't fall foul of the law at www.recycleforessex.com/crimenottocare.