Fly-tipper Fined £1,500

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 29th May 2006

A landscape worker who dumped lorry loads of rubbish in the Milton Keynes area has been ordered to pay fines and costs totaling £1,500 after being caught on CCTV. Peter Hadfield, of Northampton, was captured on camera in August last year, while dumping mounds of green waste at Fitzhamon Court in Wolverton Mill.

He appeared before Milton Keynes magistrates this month and pleaded guilty to the offence of unauthorised deposit of controlled waste (fly-tipping) under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

He was fined £800, and ordered to pay £300 compensation to English Partnerships, who own the land, and £400 costs to the Council.

Mr Hadfield was caught by the use of the Safer Communities Unit's covert CCTV equipment. This is the first successful prosecution of its kind brought by the Unit, which involves the Council, the Police and other partners.

The Unit has recently bought another five covert cameras, which can be strategically placed in known fly-tipping 'hot spots' around the city. Rob Lawrence, who led the 'sting' said: "This shows that we are serious about fly-tippers, and our CCTV equipment is a vital tool in the fight against this, and other anti-social behaviour. If you do it, we will catch you."

Liberal Democrat Councillor Douglas McCall, cabinet member for the environment, said: "This is a real result and a return on our investment in more enforcement officers and covert CCTV."