John Ovenell, from Sittingbourne, was caught dumping rubbish in the countryside by the BBC 1 programme Rogue Traders

by Hayley Robinson

Trading Standards has confirmed it is investigating a Sittingbourne man caught dumping rubbish in the countryside by a TV programme.

Viewers of the BBC's Watchdog will have seen John Ovenell called out to a house where homeowner 'Nicki' was waiting with a standard pile of household waste, including a mattress, a sofa and a desk.

To help identify the items, the TV crew sprayed them with a special UV spray and a few distinctive pieces, such as a red wig and a pair of 'Dimbleby' pants, were added.

A tracking device was also attached to the pile to help the team monitor the progress of the waste.

At around 4am the following day, he was tracked to a spot near Meopham where he left a mixture of the waste and someone else's on the roadside.

The rubbish is said to have damaged a nearby gate to an apple orchard and made it impossible for anyone to drive through the entrance into the field.

To check whether the dumping was a one-off, he was called out to another house to pick up more household waste.

This time he was followed by the team to Esher in Surrey, where at 1.20am he left the rubbish next to a rugby club.

When confronted about allegedly breaking the law by charging customers for waste disposal without holding a waste-carrier's licence, and by leaving the rubbish in unauthorised places, Mr Ovenell responded by flatly denying fly-tipping.

However, he did admit he doesn't have a waste carrier's licence, but does have the form to apply for one.

He apologised to the team and to the farmer and said he's not going to collect waste any more - not even for £1,000.

He collected the rubbish from Esher and deposited it back at the house the programme makers had called him out to.

A KCC spokesman said: "We take fly-tipping very seriously and are currently investigating this alleged case."

Mr Ovenell did not respond to calls for a comment.