A man convicted of fly-tipping claims he was forced to dump rubbish in public because his wheelie bin had been stolen.

Martin Barratt, from Whitstable, says he left household waste in and around a street bin in Canterbury after refusing to pay the council for a replacement container.

The 48-year-old appeared last week before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court, which was told he had been photographed dropping the black bags in Brymore Road in July last year.

Barratt, of Sydney Road, claimed his rubbish had not been picked up by the council, but the prosecution argued there had been no reports of missed collections in his neighbourhood during the period in question.

Prosecutor Victoria Hayter said: “In interview he appeared to see nothing wrong with what he’d done and then called the witness a p***k.”

Defending Barratt, Mark Trafford told the court his client had taken matters into his own hands after the disappearance of his wheelie bin.

“He called up the council and asked them for another one and they said, yes, you can, but it will be £68,” the solicitor explained.

Feeling hard done by, Barratt says he instead got into the habit of taking his own rubbish to the tip, but on one occasion tried to shove the black bags into a public bin.

“The public bin he chose was full so he placed the bags right next to it, thinking that they would also be collected,” said Mr Trafford.

“It’s not as if he’s dumping fridges and freezers down country lanes - he didn’t know he was doing anything wrong.”

The court was told that just a few months before, Barratt – who sometimes picks up unwanted refuse from people’s homes – had dumped a number of boxes at the roadside in Broad Oak.

“Mr Barratt removed the waste from the house and the clients paid him £530,” the prosecutor said.

“But on April 13, 2022, some of that waste was found by the side of Shalloak Road in Canterbury.

“This was a flagrant breach of the provisions - this was an offence committed for financial gain.”

Mr Trafford argued that it was not his client’s fault that the rubbish ended up on the side of the road.

“He was using a flatbed truck to collect the rubbish and it was very windy that day,” he said.

“The boxes fell off the back of the vehicle and he and his friend stopped and got out to collect what had fallen - he did not realise that those items were still there.”

Barratt pleaded guilty to two counts of fly-tipping and one of failing to make and maintain "waste transfer notes”.

Sentencing, chairman of the bench Janet Wood highlighted the seriousness of his offending.

“Fly-tipping is horrible for so many people in the community,” she told Barratt.

“I shouldn’t have anything to pay, or anything to do. I’ll suck it up, but the system itself I think is quite corrupt...”

“You are going to be given a 12-month community order during which you will complete 100 hours of unpaid work.”

Between court costs, investigation costs and the victim surcharge, Barratt was also made to pay a total of £575.

Speaking after the hearing on Wednesday, the defendant pushed back against the punishment he was handed.

“I shouldn’t have anything to pay, or anything to do. I’ll suck it up, but the system itself I think is quite corrupt,” he said.

“They know what I’ve done and they’re still trying to do me for the offence.

“Well, it’s not fly-tipping, it’s putting rubbish in a bin which is from my house, which the council didn’t pick up, so it’s not a crime in my eyes anyway, so I think I’ve been done really unfairly.

“But, I’ll take it on the chin and move forward and hopefully this won’t happen to someone else.

“I’ve learned from it and I see how the system does work, and I’ll just move on and try and do things differently.”

Replacement wheelie bins are available to buy from the council for £57, and not the £68 stated by Barratt’s solicitor.

Cllr Connie Nolan, the authority’s cabinet member for the community, said: "Fly-tipping affects residents' quality of lives and costs the council taxpayer when it is then cleared up - I'd prefer that money to be spent on vital frontline services.

"We take this sort of criminal offence really seriously and will pursue the culprits through the courts where necessary.

"In this case, the defendant said sorry for the abuse he meted out to our enforcement officers during his interview, and so he should."