The investigation of a fly tip in an East Hampshire beauty spot has led to a man paying more than £330 in fines and court costs.
In September 2021 building waste, garden cuttings, bags of rubbish and an old sofa were dumped on a rural track off New Barn Lane, in Chalton.
The area is inside the South Downs National Park and has views across the South Downs and the beautiful Hampshire countryside.
An East Hampshire District Council investigation discovered some of the waste had been collected by Owen Fletcher, of Havant, from a household in Locksheath.
Fletcher, who was the director of Quality Waste LTD, was paid £80 to take a sofa and boxes after advertising his services through Facebook.
Fletcher did not have a waste carriers’ licence and admitted collecting the load without producing a receipt or waste transfer note.
At Basingstoke Magistrates Court, on 29 November, he pleaded guilty under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 of failure in his duty of care. He was fined £200 with a £100 contribution to costs and a £34 victim’s surcharge
Cllr Angela Glass, EHDC’s Regulation and Enforcement Portfolio Holder, said: “Householders have a legal responsibility to ensure the items they are disposing of are passed to a licensed waste carrier and to obtain a waste transfer note.
“Failure to make proper checks could lead to householders being fined or taken to court if their waste is later found fly tipped.”
You can check if a waste carrier is properly licensed and find out more about fly tipping on the Hampshire County Council website, using the button below.