Two dodgy rubbish collectors have been fined for flytipping on country roads after a council investigation.

Richard Mayhew of Harp Farm Road, Boxley, and Elliott Ashley of Jefferson Road, Sheerness, appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates last week charged with dumping rubbish and other offences breaching the Environmental Protection Act.

The court heard how Mayhew, 35, owns Rusty's Scrap Metal Collection and Waste Removal. On March 30 last year he dumped rubbish on Old Chatham Road, Aylesford including a mattress, bed base, wooden joists, pictures, black sacks he had been paid to collect from a house in Wateringbury earlier that month.

Council officers investigated and discovered Richard Mayhew nor Rusty’s were listed as registered waste carriers. However, Mr Mayhew is registered as a scrap dealer with the Borough Council.

Mayhew denied the offences, found guilty and fined £420. In addition, he will have to pay £650 legal costs, £183 clear-up costs and a victim surcharge of £42.

Elliot Ashley, 38, admitted flytipping household waste including children’s toys, a trampoline, fencing and decorating items in Wrotham Water Road, Trottiscliffe on April 26 last year and dumping more waste two days later in Brook Lane, Snodland he had been paid to collect.

Ashley was fined £600 for each offence and was ordered to pay £700 legal costs, £308 clear-up/compensation costs and a victim surcharge of £120.

Robert Styles, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s director of street scene, leisure and technical services, said: “Flytipping is a crime – it’s anti-social, unsightly and hazardous and will not be tolerated in Tonbridge and Malling.

"Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs figures for 2015-2016 show that fly-tipping is on the increase with 107 reports received every hour across England and clear-up costs amounting to almost £50m. In Tonbridge and Malling, the estimated cost of clearing up fly-tipping for 2015-2016 was £31,860 – money that would have been much better spent on services for our residents."

"Fly-tipping blights communities and amounts to environmental vandalism, which is why we will continue to do all we possibly can to ensure that those who deface our environment in this way are brought to justice.”

To report a fly-tipping incident or to notify the Council of suspected fly-tippers in the borough visit www.tmbc.gov.uk, email waste.services@tmbc.gov.uk or call the refuse and recycling helpline on 01732 87147.