Man lands himself £800 bill after flytipping

Andrew Forth, 29, of Elizabeth Street, Blackhall Colliery, admitted flytipping after being caught on camera dumping a carpet and air conditioning unit at Warren House Gill, in Horden.

Magistrates in Peterlee heard Durham County Council received information about the offence having previously installed cameras at the location in response to an ongoing problem with flytipping in that area.

Footage recorded by the cameras showed that at 1.36pm on June 29 last year, two men pulled up in a white van and unloaded the carpet and air conditioning unit.

Checks on the van’s number plate showed Andrew Forth as the registered keeper of the vehicle.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared in court and apologised for what he had done, saying he was doing a favour for a friend by getting rid of the waste.

He told the court he had dumped the items because he didn’t have a permit to take waste to the tip.

He was fined £352, with £410 costs and a £35 victim surcharge.

Ian Hoult, neighbourhood protection manager at Durham County Council, said: “There is simply no excuse for flytipping.

“It is unsightly and causes damage to the environment, including wildlife and their habitats.”

In the last financial year the cost of flytipping to the county council was £432,562 and a total of 6,824 incidents were investigated.