Three more districts have joined a scheme where farmers and landowners who are the victims of fly-tipping can have the rubbish cleared up for free.

Stevenage, North Herts and East Herts have joined the pilot - set up by Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd - for those whose land has been contaminated.

He said: "Most of the councils have joined the scheme, which shows how committed parties are to tackling fly-tipping.

"It is a serious crime and it has a significant impact on our community. It blights the countryside and causes substantial costs for farmers and landowners to clear the waste and poses a danger to livestock and wildlife.

"I pledged to investigate the potential of using money recovered from criminals to be put to good use in this way."

Two farmers in the new areas have already taken advantage of the scheme. Fly-tipped rubbish affected a farm in little Wymondley and Hertford Heath in East Herts.

Both of the clean-up operations were paid for by the PCC using a £20,000 fund that was generated by the Proceeds of Crime Act. This is money that has been confiscated from criminals and is put back into crime fighting and victim initiatives.

The scheme is part of the county wide multi-agency and multi-channel campaign being run by the Herts Fly Tipping Group - #SCRAPflytipping.

Chairman of the Hertfordshire Fly Tipping Group, Duncan Jones, said: "This latest initiative is another good example of how the relevant Hertfordshire agencies such as local authorities and the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner are working together to deliver new initiatives to tackle fly tipping."

Rosalind David, Hertfordshire NFU representative, said: "The impact of this serious crime not only causes upset and inconvenience, but also leaves a considerable bill for those left to deal with the clean-up operation."

If you want to claim or find out more information, contact the environmental team and mention the Police and Crime Commissioner's private land fly tipping pilot.

In North Herts call 01462 474000 ext 4298 and East Herts call 01992 531528.

To be eligible for the funding farmers or green space landowners will have to prove they already have a waste disposal contract in place with an authorised collection firm.