Sir, – If your readers wonder why fly tipping continues unabated, they should read on.

Last week, I caught someone in the act fly tipping on my land. They were shameless, claiming they thought it was a ‘farmers community dump’ (I store only dyke stone there).

When I objected, they removed the rubbish (flagstones and concrete; the metal had yet to come out of the van) and said they hoped ‘this concluded our dealings’. They were so brazen, it was obviously a habitual activity.

I reported it to the police via 101, telling them I had photos of the person, their van including the VRN and an independent witness. And the police did? … nothing, except refer me to the local council who they said was responsible for such matters and advised me to put up barriers to discourage further tipping.

When I pointed out in a further call that the council wasn’t responsible for investigating a crime, they ignored me. They have now closed the incident without taking any action.

In this case, it would have been very easy to use the VRN to find the driver and if prosecution wasn’t viable, despite the evidence, at least they could have had a cautionary chat. Instead, they couldn’t care less.

So now you know: Fly tippers know the police won’t pursue them, so they continue to tip without fear.

PJ Lewis, Ashkirk, Scottish Borders