SURVEILLANCE cameras are being used in Burnley to help catch fly-tippers red-handed.

The move is part of Burnley Council's new crackdown on rogue dumpers and other environmental crimes, which has been dubbed Operation Red Card.

It has been backed by a group of councillors from the environment scrutiny committee who were asked to investigate the issue and come up with ways to combat it.

The number of reported fly-tipping incidents in Burnley last year averaged 345 a month.

Areas with many empty properties, such as Trinity, Burnley Wood and Daneshouse, have particularly suffered because rubbish is being dumped in the backyards of these houses.

The scrutiny committee has recommended a raft of measures to tackle the problem, including using surveillance cameras to target known hot spots, which will now go before the council's executive committee.

Coun Tony Lambert, who is a member of the environment scrutiny committee, said: "Fly-tipping is a very serious problem in Burnley.

"I have had reports of people rolling up in flat back lorries at 2am to dump their rubbish in a backyard - it is disgraceful.

"We want to send out the message that anyone is seen doing this they will be caught and prosecuted.

"Many of the things we have recommended, including the use of surveillance cameras, are already being put into action through Operation Red Card, which is very good news."

Other recommendations include more alley gate schemes, which have proved successful in preventing fly-tipping.

The committee has also asked that the situation be monitored for six months to find out whether Operation Red Card is tackling the issue effectively.

The amount of fly-tipping has also caused problems for the fire brigade because the rubbish being dumped is a magnet for arsonists.

Station commander at Burnley Fire Station, Dave Jackson, said: "Over the last three years we have seen a huge increase in the number of rubbish fires in the borough because commercial and domestic waste is being dumped in the backyards of empty houses.

"We have been working with the council and other agencies as part of Operation Red Card to help deal with this and other issues."