Police have shut down 16 illegal rubbish dumps in nine districts of Bangkok and arrested seven people for operating them.

Police said on Thursday that the dumps were closed on Wednesday after public complaints about the stench and health hazards.

There were three illegal rubbish dumps in both Lat Krabang and Saphan Sung districts; two each in Min Buri, Nong Khaem and Suan Luang; and one each in Prawet, Klong Sam Wa, Bung Kum and Bang Khae.

Police arrested seven people who were operating the dumps and said three were women.

The suspects said they had sought permission from the land owners to use their ponds for landfill and had promised to beautify the sites, covering them with soil, so the owners could later sell the land later.

The illegal dump operators charged each rubbish truck 40-300 baht a load, depending on the kind of waste - mainly wood and construction materials and tree branches.