A waste criminal who dumped three lorry loads of shredded rubbish on private land has been ordered to pay more than £22,000.

Michael Shilling, of Iwade, near Sittingbourne, was caught on CCTV last year after he illegally deposited the mounds of material in Rainham.

On December 20, 2020, the Environment Agency was told rubbish had been left at Gills Terrace, Otterham Quay Lane.

A few weeks later, on January 8, 2021, it received more information, including CCTV footage, showing Mr Shilling’s vehicle entering the site three times on the evening of December 14.

An employee of Iron Mountain (UK) PLC – which owned the Medway site – gave a statement saying the heap of waste comprising plastics, paper, mattress fabric and fibre was smouldering when he arrived at work on December 15.

On February 25, 2021, an Environment Agency officer, accompanied by police, visited Raspberry Hill Park, Iwade, and located the lorry used to dump the waste.

Officers seized and crushed the vehicle for alleged waste offences.

Mr Shilling, of Raspberry Hill Park Farm, appeared at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to controlling or being in a position to control the use of a Scania Skip Loader and knowingly causing waste to be unlawfully deposited.

The 61-year-old was fined £4,500, ordered to pay £6,779 costs, a £190 victims’ surcharge and compensation to Iron Mountain (UK) PLC of £11,086 – a total of £22,555.

Magistrates took into account his guilty plea during sentencing.

Matt Higginson, environment manager for the Environment Agency, said: "This prosecution and the seizure and crushing of the vehicle shows that we will search out and prosecute anyone found to be dumping waste illegally.

"Illegally depositing waste without regard for the environment and the law has the potential to harm our natural resources, blight communities and undermine the legitimate businesses that follow the rules. You will not get away with it.

"We encourage everyone to check that their waste collector is registered as a waste carrier."