AN  Irvine schoolboy has helped North Ayrshire Council to catch some local fly tippers.

Nine-year-old Noah Donnelly was heading to his gran’s house when he spotted two men dumping rubbish into bushes at Slate Mill, Irvine.

He took a mental note of the two men, the van and also managed to memorise its number plate.

The quick-thinking St Mark’s pupil gave his gran the details and she contacted North Ayrshire Council’s Environmental Enforcement team.

Using the information provided, they tracked down the vehicle and were able to issue a fixedpenalty notice of £200 to the owner.

As a thank-you for his efforts, the council presented Noah with afamily pass that can be used at any KA Leisure facility.

Mum Lisa said: “We are really chuffed and proud of Noah. His gran is very much into the environment, fair trade and all that kind of stuff, and the whole family is big on recycling. We care about the environment.

“So when Noah saw them dumping stuff, he immediately knew something was wrong and wanted to do something about it. For a nine-yearold to have that sort of awar eness is really amazing.

“He memorised the number plate, the colour of the van and provided some details about the location of the rubbish.

“We are delighted that the council responded and hopefully more people will report crimes like this.”

North Ayrshire Council’s Envi ronmental Enforcement team carry out patrols of the area but rely on feedback from the public.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “Noah is an incredible young boy and we are so thankful for his quick thinking and thoughtfulness.

“When someone is flytipping, they are committing a crime against the whole community so Noah was looking out for everyone when he took the details down.

“His family should be rightfully very proud of him.”

If you witness an environmental crime, such as flytipping or dog fouling, contact the team on 01294 310000 or EnvironmentalEnforcementTeam@ north-ayrshire.gov.uk