A man who was seen driving a transit van and trailer filled with roofing materials that was later dumped in Cliddesden has been ordered to pay over £2,000 by the courts.

During a hearing at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Friday 17 February, Bobby Goddard of Eden Farm, Surrey, pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing controlled waste.

He was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £2,666 as a result of the prosecution brought by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, following an investigation into a fly-tipping incident at Northgate Lane, Cliddesden.

The court heard that the van and trailer he was seen driving, full of building and roofing materials including roofing battens and felt, entered Northgate Lane and was later seen around 10 to 15 minutes later empty of any materials. The waste was subsequently discovered in the middle of the road known as Northgate Lane.

Magistrates fined Goddard £800, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £80, pay £1,510 towards prosecution costs and pay a clean-up cost of £276. He will also receive a criminal record for his actions.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Partnerships Cllr Jenny Vaux said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful countryside and this case demonstrates that our residents will not stand for this behaviour and will support us in stamping it out in our borough. Witness evidence from members of the public was crucial to the success of this case and we are very grateful to them for coming forward.

"We know that fly-tipping is an issue that our communities feel very strongly about. Every conviction we achieve means there is a stronger deterrent for those who may be tempted to engage in this kind of criminal behaviour.”

Fly-tipping offences carry a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment at the Crown Court.

In the last 12 months 10 individuals have been convicted and a further 11 individuals have received fixed penalty notices, demonstrating the council’s continued zero-tolerance approach to this type of environmental crime.