A house owner has been fined hundreds of pounds after admitting he paid a complete stranger to dispose of his rubbish.

A huge pile of waste was discovered fly-tipped behind The Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, at the entrance to Joey’s Wood.

Among the rubbish was wood, bricks and plastic bags.

But also retrieved from the pile was a planning application letter addressed to a house in Hunter Road in Willesborough.

A team from Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) environmental enforcement visited the property and it was clearly having renovation work done.

A Land Registry check tracked down the out-of-borough owner of the house.

During an interview under caution a month later, the owner confirmed that all of the fly-tipped waste found near the school originated from his house in Hunter Road.

He said a man in a van had pulled up outside and offered to take the waste away. A bank transfer of £120 was paid.

The owner told officers that he did not check if the stranger held an Environment Agency Waste Carriers licence and did not receive a receipt, invoice or waste transfer note from him.

After admitting failing in his Duty of Care to carry out the relevant checks he was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £400, which has been paid.

The team is continuing to make enquiries regarding the owner of the bank account the £120 was paid into.

A spokesman for the environmental enforcement team says it “defies belief” that despite ongoing publicity about fly-tipping, householders continue to trust “complete strangers” to dispose of their waste without asking for proof that they are licensed to do so, or obtaining a proper receipt for the transaction.

The spokesman added: “It is vital that householders adhere to their Duty of Care and always ask to see the Waste Carriers Environment Agency licence.

“Always get a receipt or invoice for any payments of services made and always ensure that it has the full contact details of the service provider.

“If your waste is fly-tipped and we discover that you have failed carry out the necessary checks then you face a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice!”

The council team warns that fly-tippers often target households via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, building rubble or garden waste.

But these unlicensed waste carriers often simply dump the waste wherever they can get away with it, including in country lanes.

Householders or small businesses found to be using these rogues to dispose of their waste can be prosecuted by the council, with FPNs of up to £400 per offence. Failure to pay may result in court action.

It also helps if householders receive a written receipt or transfer note, including contact details, description of waste removed and details of where the waste is being taken to.