Fly-tipper 'face first' in mud after Southampton police chase

The driver of a Ford Transit Tipper is said to have fled the scene after being spotted by police in an area near to Sandpiper Road in Lordswood.

He had been seen driving without lights in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police say the man was driving without insurance and had "just fly-tipped a tipper truck full of rubbish on Woburn Road.

A post on the Southampton Cops Facebook page said: "Early hours of this morning, Neighbourhood Officers from Redbridge were on patrol in the area of Sandpiper Road in Lordswood.

"We saw a Ford Transit Tipper, driving without lights and the tipper fully up in the air. The driver's first mistake was to draw attention to himself. His second mistake was to abandon his vehicle and run. His third mistake was to resist, even more so as he ended up face-first into the mud.

• Fly-tippers dump rubbish in the middle of Southampton street

"It was truly his unlucky day when we discovered he had no insurance for the vehicle (Seized Section 165 Road Traffic Act).

"He'll get another 6 points on his licence will likely be disqualified. Even worse for him was that he'd just 'fly-tipped' a tipper truck full of rubbish on Woburn Road when found him.

"He's likely to be fined thousands of pounds for his actions, lose his licence and is without his vehicle until he gets it insured and pays the recovery fees.

• 72,000 fly-tipping incidents in Southampton cost taxpayers £2m

"A very expensive and muddy experience for this 40-year-old male of Upper Toothill Road in Rownhams."

Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to call police on 101 and quote 44200333441.