Two serial fly-tippers caught on video dumping illegal waste – including asbestos – near a children’s dance school have been jailed, reports the BBC.

George Parry, 55, and David Smith, 53, dumped tonnes of builders’ waste outside the school in Liverpool.

At Liverpool Magistrates’ Court the men, both of Aspes Road, West Derby, each pleaded guilty to four counts of fly-tipping.

Liverpool City Council said fly-tipping cost it more than £1m a year.

Parry and Smith, who ran a “man and van” service, were caught repeatedly dumping outside the entrance gate of Jade School for Dance in Back Broadway – an area used by young children every day.

In April last year, the pair dumped a large pile of asbestos sheeting and six bags of loose asbestos crumb, the council said.

They were covertly filmed by the council and police during a prolonged investigation, leading the council to seize and destroy their Ford transit van and use the video as evidence in court.

On Thursday, Parry was jailed for 20 weeks, disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £580. Smith was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison and fined £580.

Steve Munby, cabinet member for waste services, said fly-tipping had “a huge environmental and financial cost” and “must be fought tooth and nail”.

The city’s mayor, Joe Anderson, said last week he was looking at giving residents a council tax rebate for information that leads to prosecution of offenders.

The council advised people using “man and van” services to make sure they were properly licensed as waste carriers, ask for a receipt and make a note of their number plate.