A truck driver has been fined more than £20,000 for obstructing an investigation into large-scale flytipping across Kent.

Gravesham council has been looking into a series of offences which occurred on various parcels of private land in the Gravesend area belonging to farmers and Highways England.

The dumping was uncovered in October last year and several similar incidents were also noted across north and west Kent.

Phillip Rumsey, 56, was identified as a person of interest after a tipper truck, thought to be involved in one of the offences that occurred in Cobham, was identified and found near to the A2 at Shorne.

It appeared that the tipper truck had broken down after colliding with a roadside object and had been abandoned.

While Gravesham enforcement officers were seizing the offending vehicle Rumsey arrived at the location with a tow truck to recover it.

The driver was questioned by officers and gave false details to them. He also lied about who owned the vehicle.

Rumsey was later served a notice to provide documents relevant to the enquiry to the investigation but despite visits to his home address in Plough Road, Minster on Sea, he failed to engage.

The Sheerness man was summoned to appeared at Medway Magistrates on Friday but failed to show.

He was found guilty in his absence of an offence under the Environment Act 1995.

Rumsey is the first of several offenders prosecuted in relation to the series of fly tipping offences and although his part in the offence could not be proved, his conduct obstructed the investigation.

He was fined £20,000, ordered to pay full costs of £1023.74, a legal bill of £250 and pay a victim surcharge of £190.15. A total of £21,463.89.

Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, cabinet member for community and leisure, said “Gravesham council will not tolerate fly tipping on public or private land.

"Our environmental enforcement team will always investigate environmental crime, no matter where it is in the Borough, and prosecute those involved, backing up our promises to deal with fly-tipping and also showing our support for the victims of crime that suffer when such criminal behaviour is committed.

He added: "They have powers under the Environment Act 1995 to require anyone who has documentation that could assist with an enquiry to produce it to them.

"Failing to do so is a criminal offence and the team will prosecute anyone who fails to assist with or obstructs an investigation.

"I hope that this substantial fine will act as a warning to anyone who chooses to ignore our investigators or obstruct them. I also hope that it acts as a deterrent to anyone who is involved or is considering becoming involved in fly tipping or other environmental crimes."

You can report fly-tipping in Gravesham by going to the dedicated page at www.gravesham.gov.uk/flytipping.

If you have any information relating to environmental crime you can e-mail Tipoff@gravesham.gov.uk

The council says it took enforcement action over more than 300 cases of environmental crime in 2021/22, up from 130 the previous year, and saw a reduction in the number of cases reported.

A report put before the council's cabinet last week stated the action led to the council issuing 220 community protection warnings, two community protection notices, and 82 fixed penalty notices, while 10 cases were prosecuted through the courts.