A man has promised to clean up his act after being caught by a novel way to tackle fly-tipping by using crime scene tape.
Walsall Council's new project saw the tape used around a pile of rubbish that was dumped on Whitehall Road and just a day later the culprit's landlord came forward.
The man has been given seven days to resolve the issue before criminal charges will be brought, said a spokesman for the council, reported BirminghamLive.
Walsall Council said the fly-tipper "who dumped a large amount of waste" admitted his crime and offered to make amends.
The project, which launched in February, is a partnership effort between Walsall Council and One Palfrey Big Local.
It saw officers cordoning off fly-tipped waste like a crime scene under investigation, in the hope it would deter people.
Once the rubbish has been investigated and removed, officers then use spray paint to leave a message as a warning to anyone thinking of dumping their rubbish illegally.
Cllr Garry Perry said: "This is a huge step forward in terms of behaviour change and it sends a really powerful message, which I hope will make people think twice before dumping their rubbish like this in future.
"This result shows that our no-nonsense attitude towards fly-tipping is paying off. I hope this serves as a warning to anyone who thinks it's acceptable to dump rubbish on our streets and in our green spaces that we will find you and you will be punished for it."
Other councillors also emphasised that the approach is to change attitudes.
Cllr Kerry Murphy, Portfolio Holder for Clean and Green, added: "I'm extremely pleased to see that the Environmental Crime Scene project is having a positive impact. It's not easy to change people's attitudes and behaviours so we have had to think outside the box to find a solution to fly-tipping, which has become a major problem across Walsall.
"People should take pride in their communities and respect the local area. Fly-tipping is a crime and we need local people to play an active role in reporting it and coming forward with information so that those who think it's OK to dump their rubbish wherever they want are caught and charged."
Chair of One Palfrey Big Local, Imrana Niazi, said: "I am really proud of the success of this project so far and it has been a pleasure to work with Walsall Council to help reduce fly-tipping and improve the community.
"I hope this goes some way to help change people's attitudes towards fly-tipping as it is such a blight on our communities, and I hope that people learn from this project that fly-tipping is a crime that is taken very seriously."
