Video: Farmer forces fly-tippers to reload rubbish

Two fly-tippers who dumped rubbish were forced to reload their lorry after a farmer caught them in the act.

Glasgow farmer James Johnston found the men dumping strips of wood and broken pallets and other debris at an entrance to a farm field.

https://www.facebook.com/ClearWasteApp/videos/303327721017988/

The workers told the farmer it was their “first time” illegally depositing waste, but Mr Johnston insisted they reload their white Transit van, with the incident being recorded live on Facebook.

See also: What to do if you’re a victim of… fly-tipping

The two-minute video, which has gone viral, begins by showing the two men throwing rubbish back into their van.

Mr Johnston states: “’Ladies and gentlemen of my Facebook Live, here’s the two f****** cretins who have been dumping sh** in my fields.”

‘First time’

One worker explains: “This is the first time we have been here.”

To which the farmer replies: “Aye, every time I ever catch someone it’s the first time.”

As the men continue to reload the debris, Mr Johnston walks around the back of the vehicle and says: “This is the van you need to look out for. NJ61 VSY.”

He adds: “And guess what? It’s their first time… Always the first f******* time.”

Mr Johnson then walks around to the front of the van. A Coca-Cola can and coffee cup can be seen in the cab along with a number plate placed on the dashboard with the word “Bullet”.

The farmer says: “Bullet? Aye, a bullet’s what you should get,” before the camera pans to show other waste dumped by his field, including a mattress and old fence panels.

“Ladies and gentlemen, all this sh*** has been dumped in the gate of the field,” says Mr Johnston.

“It seems we now have to lock the gates every time we go through them.”

He points the camera to the side of the field and says: “There’s the grass that didn’t get lifted because of people dumping sh*** in fields. Not to mention two skip loads that were here.”

He adds: “It’s just as well the gates were locked” on this occasion.

Mr Johnston sent the video to publish on ClearWaste, a free app to report fly-tipping and waste crime.

Farmer praised

The company posted the video on its Facebook page and it has had more than 200,000 views, 1,800 reactions and over 500 comments.

Mike Little commented: “Brilliant. Well done Mr Farmer. Hope you stayed there till they took everything away, including the bits they never tipped on this occasion.”

Steve Chalmers said: “Well done. It’s about time these scumbags were caught. They have no respect for the countryside or farmers’ fields. There needs to be massive fines, plus the vehicle being impounded.”

A check on the government’s website Gov.uk shows the Transit is untaxed and its MOT expired in January.

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence with a fixed penalty notice starting at £200 in Scotland. It can lead to a year in prison or a fine of up to £40,000.

Farmers Weekly has contacted Police Scotland to request a comment.