A woman has been ordered to pay nearly £5,000 after waste was fly-tipped in two country lanes.

Brydie Deeprose, of Milton, Sittingbourne, organised the removal of household items that were later found around Faversham.

Despite not being a licensed waste carrier Ms Deeprose advertised her waste removal services on the Nextdoor app.

She was messaged by a resident and arranged for two unknown men to attend and clear their property’s garden of rubbish.

The collection was later found fly-tipped in Newnham Lane, Eastling and Bottom Pond Road, Milstead.

As the broker in this transaction, she failed in her requirements under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) to make sure the waste is transferred to an authorised person.

She also did not cooperate with Swale Borough Council’s (SBC) investigation and, was convicted at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court after failing to attend on October 5.

The court fined her £2,640, with a victim surcharge of £1,056 and costs of £1,230.88, totalling at £4,926.88.

Cllr Rich Lehmann, chair of the environment committee at SBC, said: “It is incredibly sad to see individuals using our country lanes as a dumping ground.

“We take fly-tipping very seriously as this selfish act spoils our environment for everyone and pollutes local land and waterways.

“We have cameras in place in hotspot areas and work with the rural police force to stop and fine any vehicles found to be fly-tipping.

“This prosecution will hopefully act as a deterrent to potential fly-tippers.”

Householders should always check whether someone is licenced to carry waste by visiting the Environment Agency website or by calling 03708 506506. Failing to check could result in being given a fixed penalty notice of £400 per offence.