The driver was caught on camera dumping the household waste by a local resident, before attempting to flee the scene
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The moment a brazen fly-tipper was caught in the act as he emptied a lorry load of rubbish onto a West London street has been caught on camera.
The footage, captured on Wednesday morning by an outraged local, shows the astonishing moment the resident was greeted by a lorry driver brazenly dumping the waste in the centre of the road.
The incident took place on the renowned Stephenson Street – the backdrop to a host of pop music videos and films, including Pulp's Common People, Madness's Our House and hit blockbuster The Ipcress File.
Caught in the act, the driver then attempts to flee the scene in such a hurry that the bed of the truck remains upright, scattering household waste along the length of the street.
It comes as the UK's fly-tipping epidemic hits an all-time high, with the latest Government figures showing the number of incidents reported to councils across England climbed by 9% to 1.26 million cases between 2024/2025.
The illegally dumped pile of household waste included glass, wood and rubble, with a long trail of waste left scattered along the cul-de-sac lined with Victorian terraced houses.
Residents have said the area is now 'overwhelmed' by the level of fly-tipping.
One local explained that it had taken numerous council waste vans and four hours to clear the debris left by the lorry.
The contents are said to include items taken from a pub, with rubbish even including addressed mail which will likely be used to identify the lorry's origins.
"People just think because it is a quiet residential area people can just dump here, and we've had sofas and cars and chairs, but this is a whole house," one local, Jamie Sutcliffe, told the Mail Online.
"It's an area you will have seen on movies and adverts and TV shows, it's such a lovely vibrant community," he added.
In the wake of the incident, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: 'We take all fly‑tipping incidents very seriously and we're grateful to residents who report them and share evidence when it is safe to do so.
"If anyone witnesses fly‑tipping, we ask that they report it to us and let us know if they have any footage. Our investigation team will use this evidence to help identify those responsible.
"Our crews aim to clear reported fly‑tips within 48 hours, and the waste on Stephenson Street was removed on the same day it was reported. Officers are now examining the dumped material for further evidence.
"We continue to tackle fly‑tipping through increased investigation and enforcement, additional CCTV, community engagement, and our educational campaign, "This is our home, not a tip".
"Fly‑tipping remains a priority for us, and we will continue using every tool available to track down offenders and keep our streets clean."
It comes as the Environment Agency unveiled its new human-piloted 'drone squad' armed with lasers in a bid to tackle soaring levels of fly-tipping.
Unveiling the high-flying concept, the unit will comprise of 33 trained drone pilots, with The Environment Agency (EA) harnessing laser mapping in a bid to identify and tackle waste crime.
Of the EA’s 54 drones, a number are set to be equipped with light detection and ranging (Lidar) technology – a concept that sees millions of laser points per second fired at the ground, creating a detailed map of sites.
The “drones squad” will also be combined with an upgraded tech rollout in the form of a new screening tool that enables officers to scan and cross-check lorry licence applications against a database of waste permit records.