A fly-tipper was caught after he left a parking permit lying in a heap of rubbish he illegally dumped at a farm, a court heard.
At Witham Magistrates' Court yesterday, James Smith, of Pollards Villas, Bardfield Saling, admitted depositing waste with no waste management licence.
Miriam Pinnock, prosecuting, said farmers had called in Uttlesford District Council after discovering a heap of junk, including a toilet, sink, bathroom panel and bags of rubble, dumped on their land in Felsted Road, Great Leighs.
The case was passed on to the Environment Agency and officers later found a parking permit for the London Borough of Islington among the rubbish, with a vehicle registration number on it.
They traced the vehicle to a building firm and bosses there said they had hired Smith to dispose of the load of waste at a licensed site.
When questioned, the 34-year-old freely admitted he had left the rubbish at the farm to avoid paying to dump it legally.
"He said he had been paid £60 to take it away but could not afford to take it to the tip as he would have been charged a commercial operator fee," Ms Pinnock said.
Magistrates took his early guilty plea into account when they fined him £800 and ordered him to pay £389.62 costs.
After the case, an Environment Agency spokesman said: "I am pleased that the court recognised the severity of the case.
"The agency will continue to crack down on those who insist on abusing the environment for financial gain."
Published Tuesday, April 15, 2003
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