Workmen parked their car to block a group of suspected fly-tippers until police arrived.
Tree surgeon Callum Chase, 25, and brother Connor, 23, spotted three men unloading mattresses and chairs from a van as they drove home along a country road.
The brothers stopped and confronted the men who denied they were doing anything wrong.
The brothers, then joined by their boss and two other passing workmen, used their vans to box in the fly-tippers while they called the police.
During a tense, two-hour stand-off the men were able the persuade the suspect fly-tippers to load the mattresses and chairs back into their van.
Police officers arrived at the scene at Kensworth, Bedfordshire, on May 9 and took the details of the men and statements from the workmen.
Local council chiefs are now investigating with a view to taking possible legal action.
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Callum, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, said: The first hour was almost a constant argument with the men, about why they couldnt be fly-tipping and not realising at all why they were doing something wrong.
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Wed say, no you are not allowed to do that, and theyd reply, But there is rubbish already here – there were beer bottles, bags, etc.
They kept saying they didnt do it all, only the mattresses and the chair.
Connor called their boss, Duncan Tomblin, who arrived with his van and blocked the three men in until the police arrived two hours later.
Duncan, 44, said: When the police turned up I thought they would seize the vehicle and arrest the three guys.
I got really frustrated, as the police wouldnt take their van away. If theres no deterrent, people will carry on fly-tipping.
I wouldnt recommend doing what we did; theres safety in numbers but before I have been threatened when Ive seen fly-tipping – people say they will kill you or ram you off the road.
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A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesman said: We are aware of this fly-tipping incident.
We have received a statement from the police who attended the scene and have identified the driver of the vehicle.
We will be collecting further statements from both the driver, passenger and witnesses. If there is enough evidence a file will be submitted to our legal team.
A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: We were called to reports of inconsiderate behaviour in Land Park Lane, Kensworth at around 6.15pm on Wednesday, May 9.
Three men were reportedly fly-tipping and were confronted by a number of members of the public.
The spokesman said that the force was exceptionally busy on the evening on the report, and due to this demand, two officers were sent out at 8.11pm.
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