A man from Chatham who earned £100 for collecting waste has been ordered to pay more than £2,700 after he dumped it on a housing site.

Scott Ryan, 25, of Hopewell Drive, Chatham, fly-tipped property renovation waste including a large rolled up carpet, in St Alban’s Close, Gillingham in December 2013.

After a three-year investigation Medway Council's enforcement team tracked him down and took the case to court.

In the pile of dumped rubbish they found an unopened letter and were able to trace it back to a property in Richmond Road, Gillingham.

The premises was undergoing building work and after talking with the site manager the team discovered that a man had collected waste from the site.

He claimed to have waste carriers licence which allowed him to collect and transport waste for cash.

Shortly after, Ryan was identified on CCTV and officers paid a visit to his home in Gillingham.

He confirmed his name but council officers struggled to get hold of him again when he did not turn up to an interview about the fly-tipping incident.

The case was heard in his absence at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, January 25. He was found guilty of flytipping.

Ryan was fined of £1,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £100 and costs of £1,644.65.

Cllr Jane Chitty, Medway Council's head of enforcement, said: "This young man earned £100 take dispose of the rubbish and now because of his irresponsible actions he must pay 27 times that amount.

"What makes this case even more concerning is that the waste was dumped in a busy residential area, where there are families with young children who could hurt themselves on the items.

"I’d urge anyone hiring someone to dispose of waste, to ask to see their licence and question them about disposal methods before going ahead.

"Fly-tipping is not acceptable and anyone found to be dumping rubbish in Medway will be prosecuted."