Techniques normally associated with murder cases including finger-printing and collecting DNA samples from rubbish are just some of the tools being used to catch the tippers.

The new campaign launched by Derbyshire County Council, the Environment Agency and district and borough councils aims to help put a stop to fly-tipping in this area for good.

Paul Slater, from the Environment Agency, said: "Fly-tipping is often an organised crime with fly-tippers making large amounts of money from polluting our environment.

"Everyone has a responsibility to make sure their rubbish is dealt with legally and responsibly.

"The best way to do this is to use someone who is registered as a waste carrier or to contact your local district and borough council – otherwise it may end up costing you a lot more than you bargained for."

People can be traced and fined if they pay somebody who is not registered as a waste carrier to take their rubbish away and it later ends up dumped.

It could mean a fine of up to £5,000 for the householder and £50,000 or 12 months in prison for the person who dumped it.

There were more than 17,500 incidents of fly tipping across the county in 2006/07 costing Derbyshire taxpayers about £900,000 according to the county council.

Anybody who sees fly tipping taking place should call the Environment Agency's 24-hour hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Amber Valley Borough Council on 01773 570222.