A landlord has been fined £400 after charging a tenant to dispose of his waste – before fly-tipping it in a country lane.

The mountain of waste, which included a sofa and armchair, was found dumped in a narrow country road in Chilham, between Canterbury and Ashford, following a report from a member of the public.

The rubbish, which was discovered by Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) environmental enforcement team, blocked New Forest Lane, and was described as one of the largest fly-tips seen by the officers.

As well as furniture, carpet, clothes, plastic boxes and general household waste were found.

Sifting through the rubbish, the team discovered evidence relating to a man living in Herne Bay, some 16 miles away.

During an interview under caution at the Civic Centre, ABC’s headquarters, the man said he had moved out of his rented accommodation in Herne Bay before the rubbish was found, and that his ex-landlord had made arrangements for the waste to be disposed of.

He told the team that he had sent several hundred pounds to his former landlord to cover the costs of the waste disposal – a claim that he was able to back up by showing screenshots of the mobile phone messages, as well as a screenshot of the bank transfer of the payment.

On September 19, the ex-landlord was interviewed under caution by the council team. He confirmed that the man was his former tenant and that he had left all of his belongings at the property. He also confirmed that the payment arrangements had been made by text.

The ex-landlord told the team that he did not use his former tenant’s money to pay a waste carrier and claimed he made several tip runs himself to dispose of the waste.

He could not explain how all of the waste from his property ended up being fly-tipped in New Forest Lane.

For failing in his householder duty of care to ensure that the waste was disposed of properly he was given a fixed penalty notice of £400 (reduced to £300 if paid within 14 days), by ABC.