Vehicles have been seized after illegal waste and scrap metal carriers were targeted in a fight against fly-tipping.

Officers joined forces with council teams in Dartford and Gravesham and impounded five vans in a bid to crackdown on the problem.

The scourge of fly-tipping has been the subject of a drive between police and the two local authorities to prevent rubbish being dumped on roads, fields and verges.

Checks on vehicles and drivers to ensure they had the correct registration and legal documents found people were not following the rules.

Police from the Rural Task Force found a Peugeot Partner van and two Ford Transit vans in Princes Road and High Street in Dartford without road tax.

All three vehicles were seized.

One driver was also issued with a £300 fine for carrying scrap metal without a valid waste carrier licence.

Another Transit van was later recovered in Whitehill Road, Gravesend after police stopped it and officers found it was untaxed and not insured.

The driver was reported for traffic offences.

A driver in Crayford Road, Dartford was stopped and found to be carrying containers of used cooking oil and driving without tax or insurance. He was ordered to present his waste carrier licence to the council.

The checks carried out on June 11 also saw two men arrested in connection with incidents in Gravesend and Gillingham where wheel clamps had been removed from vehicles which had been attached by lawful bailiffs and agents.

The pair were detained on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.

Sgt Darren Walshaw of the Rural Task Force said: "Drivers involved in carrying and disposing waste must ensure they have the appropriate licence and documentation as our officers will issue fixed penalty notices on the spot should they discover an offence has been committed.

"While we regularly visit scrap metal dealers to ensure they are keeping accurate records, our actions are focused on offenders who illegally carry waste material that is often fly-tipped in rural areas.

"I would remind householders and businesses to ensure anyone hired to remove rubbish from their address is licensed to do so.

"If any fly-tipped material is later linked to their property they risk being fined even if they have paid someone to dispose of it.

"By working with the local council teams we are sending a clear message that waste carriers must act responsibly or face the consequences."

Police also checked multiple more vehicles throughout the day to ensure people had the right documents and were carrying waste and disposing of it legally.

Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite added: "By clamping down on unlicensed scrap and waste collectors, council officers, together with Kent Police, can help eradicate some of the leading causes of fly-tipping in our borough.

"We were pleased to work with the police to ensure that Dartford does not become a dumping ground for waste.

"I’d like to thank our officers, along with Kent Police and Gravesham Borough Council, for continuing the fight against fly-tippers."

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend

Read more: All the latest news from Dartford