Hidden spy camera to catch fly-tippers is taken to rubbish dump

A spy camera, estimated to cost £10,000 and designed to catch fly-tippers, was cleared by council workers after it was concealed in a rubbish bag.

The expensive camera was placed inside a black bag beside a notorious illegal fly-tipping site. The disguise was so good that workers for Chichester District Council, West Sussex, cleared the camera believing it was genuine rubbish.



"Because the camera had been hidden in something that looked like rubbish, they cleared that away as well," said John Cherry, the deputy council leader. "The workers didn't need to know the details of this sort of operation so they were just sent along to pick up the rubbish."

A spokesman for Privacy International, the human rights group formed as a watchdog on surveillance and invasions of privacy, said: "It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. It just goes to show why local authorities require greater scrutiny and accountability."