A councillor wants landlords to tag their mattresses to avoid people dumping them illegally.

Cllr Matt Kelcher, who sits on Brent Council, believes it is an idea which might go some way to prevent fly-tipping in his borough and beyond.

He developed the concept on a Local Government Association course and explained that it was positively received by councillors from across the country.

“It’s just a small idea but it’s caught the imaginations of people in a way that I wasn’t really expecting,” he told Brent Council’s cabinet on Monday.

“I do realise that it’s only an idea at the minute, and there would be some constraints to it, but don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

He noted how mattress-dumping is a serious issue in Brent and believes this plan would work well alongside the landlord licensing scheme that is in place.

“If we can just deter a few people and build on a scheme that we’ve already got up and running, then I think we should try,” he said.

“I know an answer to that might be that ‘no one else does it’, but I think that’s a good thing – Brent can lead the way.”

The suggestion was warmly received and was treated to a healthy round of applause at the full council meeting.

In it’s written response, the council pointed out that, due to no track record, there is a lack of evidence into how effective the project would be.

But it added that it is always “open to new ideas that will help reduce levels of illegal dumping in the borough”.

And Cllr Krupa Sheth, responsible for the environment at Brent Council, was full of praise for Cllr Kelcher’s “innovative idea”.

“I definitely agree, it’s something we need to look into and I think Brent can lead the way,” she said.

She added that she would be working with Cllr Eleanor Southwood, responsible for housing at Brent Council, to explore the concept further.