Woman confronts and videos fly-tippers at Devon beauty spot
Watch Ella's video of the moment she stopped men dumping waste.
A woman has videoed the moment she caught three men dumping building waste at a Devon beauty spot.
Ella - who did not want to use her last name - discovered the men on the Ugbrooke estate near Kingsteignton apparently emptying debris and building material from their lorry down a quiet lane.
She said: "It was about 7.30pm and I was putting away my chickens that I keep there when I heard a noise which sounded like gravel being tipped.
"I thought it was an odd time for them to be working but then had a horrible feeling that they were fly-tippers, so I ran up the field to see what was going on.
"When I got there, I saw a big white tipping lorry and heard men's voices along with a bit of commotion.
"I just took out my mobile phone and ran through them videoing them all. They were just about to get back in, so I ran through them and made sure I got all their faces on video."
Ella said she called the police and her boyfriend, who arrived with some of his friends.
She spoke to the men who were leaving the items, and says they insisted they had tried to dump the waste at a local tip but it was closed. They said they planned to return the following day and collect the rubbish again.
Ella said she was determined to capture the incident on camera as fly-tipping has become a serious issue in the area.
"I think they were a bit shocked as I ran in from the middle of nowhere, but I had to do it. I knew as soon as I got their faces on video that I would be okay," she said.
"It's such a lovely area but sometimes you go out and see a fridge or a washing machine and you just think how awful it is.
"I actually spoke to the guys after it happened and they were actually very nice. They were very apologetic, but it is all very well saying that after they had been caught doing it.
"They were working for a company and I think they have to answer questions as well about the people they are hiring and where they are going to get rid of their waste."
Ella says she only became aware she might have been putting herself at risk the next day when she spoke to her mother.
She said: "At the time I was just so angry and it wasn't until the next day when I told my mum, 'Oh we had some fly-tippers that I caught last night'. And I sent her the video and she sent back - 'You're very brave but you're also very stupid'.
"I think that's when it hit me that, yes, I was very lucky that these guys were very nice."
She she "definitely would" intervene again in a similar situation, adding: "It just drives you mad and I just hope that there can be a response out there that makes people think twice."
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