A secret camera is the latest weapon in the fight against fly-tippers who blight the streets.

Brighton and Hove City Council is employing covert tactics in a bid to catch offenders responsible for thousands of cases of fly-tipping each year, leaving streets strewn with rubbish.

There were 2,738 cases of fly-tipping in the city during 2005/2006 but scores of those responsible were never caught.

The majority of incidents, 1,851, related to domestic bin bags being put out on the wrong day. Bin bags on the streets are often targeted by seagulls and foxes which rip open refuse sacks and spread debris across pavements.

The council is trying to clamp down on illegal fly-tippers but catching those who dump rubbish and run is not easy.

Last month, the council issued 35 fines of £75 for waste-related offences, including cases in which traders had allowed their bins to overflow.

The latest move by the city council is to use a mobile CCTV system to catch fly-tippers in the act.

It is thought to be one of the first authorities to use a hidden camera in the fight against dumped rubbish.

The Argus last year reported the public was paying more than £50,000 a year to have fly-tipping removed from streets. Figures were revealed as the city council recorded 60 incidents of illegal tipping in just one day in October.

Councils across Sussex yesterday reported more than £200,000 of taxpayers' money was being wasted clearing up anything from bin bags to sofas and TVs littering the streets.

Brighton and Hove City Council hopes to use footage from the cameras to prosecute offenders in the courts. The maximum penalty for fly-tipping is up to five years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Sussex authorities, such as Horsham District Council, said they were spending about £50,000 to clear up.

Worthing District Council said their clean up bill was closer to £80,000.

But neither council had issued a penalty fine for the offences.

As well as targeting fly-tipping hotspots, Brighton and Hove's cameras will also be pointed towards recycling containers in supermarket car parks to stop people dumping and running.

Later this month, two extra officers will join the council's enforcement team, taking the total to five. All are being trained to use the new equipment.

Jan Jonkers, head of strategy for CityClean, Brighton and Hove's waste collection service, said there had been a couple of trials with the new system.

He said: "We can monitor the camera from a laptop in the office and move it around to any part of the city. We will use it as much as possible and move it daily. We will also step up our patrols."

To tackle the problem of trade waste spilling from bin bags the council is ordering all companies to use rigid containers instead.

In future trade refuse will be collected after 6pm or before 11am so containers are not on streets at busy times.

Anyone witnessing an incident of fly-tipping can report it to Brighton and Hove City Council on 01273 292929.