A Teesdale man is out of pocket by more than £1,300 after admitting to fly-tipping building waste in a hedgerow near Hamsterley.
The offence by John Paul Cliff, from Wind Mill, near Toft Hill, was caught on a CCTV camera by Durham County Council’s neighbourhood wardens.
A spokesman for the council said: “Our neighbourhood wardens tracked down the 53-year-old through the registration number of the vehicle used for the fly-tip.
“Magistrates in Peterlee heard Cliff did not respond to an initial letter from the wardens about the incident and failed to attend an interview.
“A second interview date was set for the following month. Cliff attended the interview, but before it began, he told wardens he had sold the vehicle two days before the date of offence.
“He repeated this claim during the interview and denied it was him on the CCTV footage.
“However, checks with the DVLA and the vehicle’s new registered keeper, confirmed it was sold almost three weeks after the offence.
“Cliff pleaded guilty to depositing controlled waste without an environmental permit and was ordered to pay a total of £1,305 in court fines, costs and charges.
“When passing sentence, magistrates highlighted Cliff’s unwillingness to assist us in our investigation.
“We’re all responsible for our own waste and there’s never an excuse for fly-tipping.
“Whether it’s paying a licensed provider to remove the items or taking them to any of our Household Waste Recycling Centres for free, there are many ways to dispose of waste responsibly in County Durham.”
