Two men have been prosecuted over fly tipping offences in Kent.

They were taken to court by Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC), as part of its tough stance against harm to the environment.

Steven Martin, of St Michael’s Walk in Hawkinge, agreed to collect waste from his neighbour for a £50 fee - before deciding to burn some of it in his back garden and paying somebody else to dispose of the bulkier items.

They were later found dumped on land at Arpinge, near Hawkinge, on April 20, 2019.

The incident was reported to the council for investigation by a member of the public and officers were able to identify the source of the waste.

Mr Martin pleaded guilty to two separate waste offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court earlier this month.

He was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, and pay £180 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

Marcus Jones, of Dudley Road, Folkestone, threw two sacks of waste into a skip on private land in Bradstone Road in June 2018.

He pleaded guilty to the offence at the same court and has now received a total bill of £460 for his actions - a £250 fine, £180 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Cllr Stuart Peall, FHDC cabinet member for enforcement, regulatory services, waste and building control, said: "Inconsiderate behaviour such as this is taken seriously by this council and we will prosecute those who choose to disrespect our environment.

"As both of these cases demonstrate, reporting incidents is essential in helping us win the war against those who refuse to dispose of their waste properly like the rest of us."

The maximum penalty for fly-tipping is five years imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both.

'Inconsiderate behaviour such as this is taken seriously by this council and we will prosecute those who choose to disrespect our environment...'

These prosecution are just the latest example of FHDC taking action against those ignoring the law.

In January, a man was fined £400 after a single cardboard box, filled with household waste, was found dumped in Hythe.

And in February, a man who dumped tree logs and branches in an open field was fined more than £1,000.

Two women from Folkestone received fines for leaving rubbish and furniture to rot in the town.

Kelvin Rumsey, from Elham, received a bill of £2,155.80 for operating a rogue taxi business.

And then in September last year, the owners of former Two Bells Inn, in Canterbury Road, Folkestone, were ordered to pay nearly £2,000 after the rear garden of the pub filled with rubbish.

Anyone with information they think should be investigated can visit folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/report-a-problem

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