FLY-TIPPERS were hit with more than a dozen fines after a dawn search by council environmental enforcement staff this week.
Staff searched through bags of waste in Portland Road and Cherry Orchard Road in the 5.30am bust on Monday, hunting for evidence of where the rubbish came from and issuing 15 fixed penalty fines of up to £80 each.
The team of seven found a mixture of commercial and household waste thrown on to the street many days before a collection was due.
They then spoke to the managers of early-opening businesses to check they had all the necessary contracts in place to properly dispose of trade waste.
Councillor Stuart Collins, cabinet member for a Clean and Green Croydon, said that residents who witnessed the swoop thanked the team for their work.
"It only takes a small minority of careless or lazy people to spoil the environment for everyone, so our staff got a massive vote of thanks for taking the time to challenge anyone who they found not following the rules," he said.
