A man who was paid to clear rubbish from a house which was then dumped illegally has ended up with a bill of nearly £5,000.

Jim Clifford, 24, of Maple Avenue, Gillingham, was paid £400 by a lettings agency to dispose of waste from a house in Chatham.

But it later transpired the waste was dumped in Lower Bloors Lane, Rainham, and included a TV, a sofa, mattresses and black bags full of house and food items.

After the fly-tipping was reported to Medway Council, an enforcement officer was eventually able to track Clifford down thanks to evidence left at the site.

Clifford said he sub-contracted the disposal of the waste but when requested by the council to provide evidence he did not do so.

After a four-month investigation, he was eventually brought before Medway Magistrates’ Court after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and one charge under the Environmental Act 1995 and was ordered to pay £4,928.86 in fines and costs.

Cllr Peter Hicks, in charge of community safety, said: “This man was contracted and paid to remove waste from a property and dispose of it in an appropriate manner but instead he was a fly-tipper.

“Carrying the correct documentation allows authorities to monitor the accountability of the waste. This case demonstrates that fly-tippers will not get away with it and I congratulate staff for their lengthy investigation.”

Fly-tipping is a problem in Medway - often little or no evidence leaves council tax payers picking up the cost of clearing it up.

During 2011/2012 Medway Council cleared nearly 1,864 tonnes of fly-tipping and almost 2,195 tonnes of litter from the streets of Medway.

The total cost to clear and dispose of such waste was £3.8million.

You can report fly-tipping directly to the council at medway.gov.uk or call 01634 333333.