A BUSINESSMAN has been fined more than £2,000 for fly-tipping. 

John King, 39, of Redlynch, operating as John’s Tree and Garden Services, was caught by a covert camera operation run by Wiltshire Council. 

King pleaded guilty at Salisbury Crown Court on Monday, October 23.

He was issued with fines and costs totalling £2,190.

King admitted to dumping a large amount of green waste on an access road to Lode Hill Caravan Site. 

When interviewed under caution by the council’s Environmental Enforcement Officers, he had claimed to be moving other people’s fly-tipped waste.

Footage captured using the council’s covert cameras had instead caught him travelling along the access road in his vehicle with waste on board.

Four minutes later, he was shown again, travelling with an empty vehicle. The access road is a known hotspot for illegal waste dumping.

Councillor Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport and Street Scene, said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal offence, which can not only be unsightly on the Wiltshire landscapes, but hazardous to animals and the environment. As part of our business plan commitment, we have invested an extra £150,000 this year into our We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, which has included deploying new technologies such as covert cameras.

“This prosecution shows that our investment in this technology is really paying dividends, with the footage being key in capturing a fly-tipper in action.

“Having the cameras is increasing the team’s ability to conduct larger scale operations, which will hopefully result in more formal action and prosecutions against those who choose to illegally fly-tip their waste in Wiltshire.”