How naive can Frank Wilkinson, of West Sussex County Council, be ("Here's a tip, don't dump illegally", Letters, May 11)?

A week ago I reported building materials being dumped from a pick-up truck on land behind Henfield Business Centre.

I gave the police the registration number of the vehicle, the time and so on. They didn't want to know.

Initially, they said they would send a police car to the scene but when I said I would meet the car, I was told in no uncertain terms not to go back. So a witness is not allowed to speak to the police at the scene of the crime.

In typical British fashion, I ignored them and went back, seeing the truck coming away from the area. This fly-tipper had "borrowed" a tarpaulin from the site to cover his crime and weighted it down with roofing tiles and other materials, also "borrowed".

I reported back to the police who now said a car would not be sent and that they had passed my telephone number to Horsham District Council, who would ring me.

Horsham council never rang.

A week previously I saw a van full of documents being dumped in Henfield car park. I photographed the number plate and started phoning. Result - the police didn't want to know and Horsham council didn't want to know.

I retrieved some of the documents, which by now were being blown about by the wind. Among them were private and confidential documents and permits for Eastbourne Borough Council and Havant Borough Council.

Happily, Eastbourne Borough Council is following up the incident as its documents were supposed to be destroyed. They have my photos of the errant van, clearly showing its registration plate.

Horsham District Council has three boards on the side of the road just south of Small Dole asking the public to report anything being dumped!

  • R Metson, Henfield