ENVIRONMENT officials have hailed the success of a crackdown on fly-tipping in Darlington.

The borough council's environmental response team is said to be exceeding targets for clearing up badly affected areas.

The authority's target for the time it takes to respond to calls about fly-tipping and litter is two working days.

But council staff are clearing all litter and fly-tipping within a day.

A litter hotline, set up last November when a big campaign aimed at cleaning up the town's streets was launched, has received more than 100 calls a month.

Uniformed wardens have also issued more than 400 fines of £50 for litter offences since April.

Chris McEwan, the council's cabinet member for community protection, said: "Unfortunately, some people still find it acceptable to dump their rubbish anywhere they please. This can include roadsides, fields, open spaces and back lanes.