FLY-TIPPING is costing the North West almost £9m a year and Halton litter louts are contributing significantly to the overall total.
But offenders are now being targeted by forensic techniques in a bid to drag those responsible before the courts.
The Environment Agency warns that more than 145,000 fly-tipping incidents were reported by local authorities in the North West and the cleanup costs the region's Council Tax payers £8.7m per year.
In a bid to combat the problem, Halton Council teamed up with the Environment Agency to launch a fly-tipping hotline at the end of last year and has been urging the public to report anyone they see dumping waste.
And Halton's problem has been compounded this year with a major increase in illegal dumping alongside railways.
Culprits are being warned by the Environment Agency that the chances of being brought to book for offences are higher than ever thanks to forensic techniques.
Tom Thornett, of the Environment Agency, said: 'Fly-tip-ping is a huge anti-social problem. It damages the environment and spoils our enjoyment of towns and the countryside. In fly-tipping hot spots it can even reduce property prices.
'Bank statements are an easy way to track back to the offender, so we do go through fly-tipped waste to see if there is any evidence of who has dumped it.
'If there is no obvious identification forensic science can play a part with DNA testing, fingerprint analysis and covert intelligence gathering all helping to catch offenders.
'And using CCTV allows us to keep an eye on fly-tipping hot-spots.'
* Members of the public are encouraged to report fly-tip-ping incidents to the council on 0151 907 8300.
adrian.short@cheshirenews.co.uk
