A FLY-TIPPER who dumped four bags of waste by a road has been fined more than £500.

Ainsley Stevenson, 20, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping offences after documents linking him to the rubbish were discovered by officers from Calderdale Council.

The fly-tipping, in Plains Lane, Elland, was reported by a member of the public and investigated by Environmental Health Officers.

Council staff then cleared away the waste and discovered the documents linking the waste to Stevenson. This information was then passed to the Environmental Health team who started prosecution proceedings.

Stevenson, of Waverley Road, Elland, was fined £427, plus costs of £80 and a victim surcharge of £22, a total of £554.

Andrew Pitts, assistant director for neighbourhoods at Calderdale Council, said: “This is a great example of cross-council working, with officers in different teams working together to ensure that this case had a positive outcome.

“Sifting through fly-tipped waste for evidence may not be a pleasant job, but it was vital in this prosecution.

“The individual in this case is paying the price for taking a chance and choosing to fly-tip rather than disposing of waste in the proper way.

“The level of fines involved should act as a deterrent for others who are thinking of fly-tipping – the council will not hesitate to find and prosecute those responsible.”

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Calderdale Council is also currently pursuing a number of further prosecutions for fly-tipping offences, and in one case an arrest warrant has been issued for a person who failed to attend court recently.

When trying to prosecute fly-tippers, the council needs as much information as possible about incidents to bring about successful prosecutions.

Calderdale Council is urging people to come forward and provide the date, time and location of any fly-tipping, a description of any of the people involved, what was tipped and in what quantity, and details of any vehicles, including a registration number, colour, make and model, involved in the incident.

Calderdale Council is currently running the Don’t Muck About campaign, encouraging people to take pride in their surroundings and showing the council has a zero-tolerance approach to littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling.

To report incidents, call Calderdale Council on 01422 288001 or visit calderdale.gov.uk.

In Bradford, report incidents by calling 01274 432111 or visit bradford.gov.uk/fly-tipping.