Drivers who have never broken a motoring law could still find themselves banned from the road under a tough new crackdown. Ministers are arming courts with the power to hand out penalty points to people convicted of illegally dumping rubbish - meaning persistent offenders could ultimately lose their driving licences altogether.

Under the new rules, introduced through the Policing and Crime Act, courts will be able to impose between three and nine penalty points for fly-tipping offences. That puts offenders on a direct path to disqualification if they rack up 12 points within three years even though the crime has nothing to do with driving itself.

In some cases, a single incident could result in as many as nine points, leaving offenders just one step away from an automatic ban.

The measures form a key plank of the Government’s Waste Crime Action Plan, which aims to clamp down on the blight of dumped rubbish in streets, lay-bys and the countryside.

Ministers believe targeting drivers is the most effective way to deter the crime, with most fly-tipping incidents involving vehicles such as vans used to transport waste.

Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, said: “Fly-tipping is a disgrace that blights our communities, harms our environment and damages our economy.

“Courts will soon be able to strip repeat fly-tippers of their driving licences, hitting offenders where it hurts and helping to clean up our streets.

“Our message is simple: if you dump waste illegally, you will face the consequences.”

At present, fly-tippers already face a raft of penalties, including hefty fines, community sentences and even prison. But ministers say adding penalty points gives courts a powerful new deterrent by restricting offenders’ ability to drive.

The crackdown goes further still. Repeat offenders could be ordered to carry out up to 20 hours of unpaid work clearing rubbish as part of clean-up squads, be forced to pay the cost of removing dumped waste, and be publicly named and shamed.

The Government has also pledged around £78bn for council budgets in England this year, with part of the funding earmarked to help local authorities step up enforcement and prosecutions against waste criminals.

Under existing rules, motorists face an automatic ban if they accumulate 12 or more points within three years — a threshold that will now apply to fly-tippers as well as drivers committing traditional road offences.

The move signals a zero-tolerance approach from ministers, who are increasingly willing to use driving penalties as a tool to punish non-motoring crimes - and send a stark warning that abusing the nation’s streets could cost offenders far more than just a fine.