A lorry used to dump rubbish illegally near Herne Bay has been crushed by the council.

The 7.5 tonne Iveco truck - which was not taxed or insured - was seized by Canterbury City Council enforcement officers during a raid at Prospect Farm in Owls Hatch Road, Greenhill, near Herne Bay, last month under new powers designed to target flytippers.

It took action after the lorry was filmed dumping rubbish in the car park of the disused Share and Coulter pub - a piece of privately-owned land repeatedly targeted by flytippers which the council has spent thousands of pounds clearing.

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In February, contractors removed 74.1 tonnes of general waste, 11 grab lorry loads of hardcore and four tonnes of asbestos, in a single operation costing £21,313; and last year the council cleared more than 100 tonnes of waste.

Cllr Neil Baker, chairman of the city council's Community Committee, said: "The crushing of this lorry on Friday (June 23) is a shot across the bows of the flytippers who have no qualms about dumping tonnes of rubbish around the district, blighting the countryside and making life a misery for residents.

"While they make money out of their illegal activity, it costs council taxpayers and the private landowners affected thousands of pounds to clear up.

"After this lorry was seized, instances of flytipping fell dramatically and taking it off the road is just one aspect of our zero-tolerance approach to flytipping.

"We are determined to use all of the powers available to us, have recruited 11 extra enforcement officers who are are focused on catching more offenders and are using a greater numbers of CCTV cameras."

Anyone who can help identify the men in CCTV footage released by the council is asked to call 01227 655027, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Cllr Baker also called on businesses and householders to dispose of their rubbish responsibly warning if the price offered is too good to be true it probably is.

He added: "Criminal responsibility does not stop with those who are dumping rubbish.

"If you pay someone to take away your waste and they are not registered with the Environment Agency you will be liable if your rubbish is found in a country lane, a field or by the roadside.

"You too could be fined or brought before the courts too. It is your responsibility to check they are taking your rubbish to somewhere it can be disposed of correctly. You can check they are registered on the Environment Agency’s website and the person taking away your waste should give you a copy of a waste transfer note.

"If they cannot produce this, do not give them your waste and contact the Environment Agency on 0370 8506 506."

The council says it decided to crush the vehicle as it had not had a valid MOT certificate or been taxed or insured for some time, and it would have cost taxpayers a considerable amount of money to have it made roadworthy.

The council said there was also a chance the vehicle would be used for flytipping again in the future if sold.