Council chiefs issue three fines under new fly-tipping powers
Council chiefs have issued new on-the-spot dumping fines to three fly-tippers since new rules came into force.
New powers came into play in May 2016 which allow councils to issue £400 fines to fly-tippers caught in the act.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show South Tyneside Council has so far issued three fines under those powers.
The information were gathered and released by the Press Association.
Neighbouring Sunderland issued no fines, but Newcastle issued 47 and County Durham issued 10.