A resident who paid two men in a van to take his rubbish away has been fined £1,300 after being linked to fly-tipping in Ashford.

The 38-year-old man, from South Ashford, was slapped with the heavy charge after failing to pay an original fine for two separate incidents near the town.

Ashford Borough Council officers were alerted to the two fly-tips by members of the public in November 2021.

One large pile of rubbish on farmland in Hamstreet contained building waste, large DIY store bags, and cardboard packaging, while in Capel Road building waste and a paddling pool was dumped.

On inspecting the rubbish, the officers found evidence that led them to the householder who paid for the waste to be taken away.

He was interviewed under caution and confirmed that the rubbish from both fly-tips came from his property.

He said he paid £200 in cash to two men in a van who offered to take the waste away.

The resident admitted he did not request to see their Environment Agency Waste Carriers licence and failed to obtain a receipt or invoice.

As a result he was issued with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for failing to ensure that whoever collects his waste is authorised to do so.

However, despite admitting to the incident, the man then failed to pay the fine, leading the council to bring the case to Folkestone Magistrates' Court.

When the householder then failed to turn up to court on November 25, he was tried and found guilty in his absence and given a bill that included a £440 fine, £620 in prosecution costs, clean-up costs of £285.40 and a court surcharge of £44.

The various costs add up to a total of £1,389.40, more than triple his original fine.

A spokesman for the Ashford environmental enforcement team said: “Fly-tipping is not only unsightly and a hazard to the local community and to the environment, it has an economic impact too when it comes to cleaning up.

“Over the Christmas and New year period it is vital that householders adhere to their responsibilities when arranging waste to be taken away.

"All fly-tips are thoroughly investigated and if it’s discovered that householders have failed in their duty of care they will face a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.”