Fly-tippers are being warned to watch out as Bradford Council launches a crackdown on rubbish.

A new enforcement policy will target tippers in a bid to clean up the district.

And the Council is set to implement new measures to ensure people who dump waste illegally do not get away with it.

Damian Fisher, principal waste management officer for street cleansing, said: "The Council is talking tough this year and the message to fly-tippers is 'beware'.

"People who tip can expect to go to court and be fined."

The launch of enforcement officers is just one of the measures the Council is introducing to deal with fly-tipping in Bradford.

The move coincides with the launch of the Telegraph & Argus Bin It for Bradford campaign.

The campaign aims to target litter louts and persuade communities to take pride in their areas.

Mr Fisher said: "We hope the enforcement teams will have a big impact and act as a deterrent to people who tip."

But the Council has already taken steps to tackle the problem with the introduction of specialised cleansing teams.

Mr Fisher said: "A few months ago we started sending out teams to deal specifically with fly-tipping complaints and target known areas for dumping."

And already the new approach has improved the overall standard of cleanliness in the district, according to Mr Fisher.

But there was still a long way to go.

He said: "It is important to keep the major corridors and gateways into the city looking clean to create a good impression to encourage businesses and people to come here."

But he stressed it was also an important issue to people who lived in the area. He said: "Dumped waste creates an eyesore for people living here. It is also a fire hazard and can attract rats."

The Council frequently deals with fly-tipping calls from the public.

Kish Patel, assistant manager for street cleansing, said: "We get a lot of complaints about dumped rubbish on open land and we respond by clearing the waste within 48 hours.

"But if the land is privately-owned we have to contact the landowner and that can take time.

"Some people do it out of laziness because they can't be bothered to manage the waste properly.

"But I think a lot of people do it without realising the services available to them," he said.

Mr Patel said many people were unaware of the Council's free bulk collection service to remove unwanted household items.

He said: "There is a charge for some items like fridges and windows, but things like furniture can be collected free of charge."

He said re-educating people was part of the challenge in dealing with fly-tipping.

He said: "It always baffles me when people drive all the way out to quiet country lanes to dump rubbish.

"Why can't they just take the waste to a local household waste site and save us all time and money."

But traders were the worst culprits in the battle against fly-tipping.

Mr Patel said: "Because they have to pay to get rid of their waste they dump it instead.

"But with the new level of enforcement, they won't get away with it for much longer."