Flytipper caught red-handed on secret camera dumping rubbish in a pretty Harborough district lane

A fly-tipper has had to fork out £400 after he was caught red-handed on CCTV dumping rubbish in a pretty Harborough district lane.

And the woman householder who paid the offender to remove her trash without checking what he was going to do with it was fined £300.

The man, from Narborough, piled up the household garbage in Houghton Lane, Stoughton, on Saturday May 9.

But he was caught on a covert CCTV camera installed at the fly-tipping hotspot by Harborough District Council.

Specialist investigators also found crucial clues in the rubbish – leading them straight to the householder.

The fly-tipper, who hasn’t been named but is in his early 30s, received a fixed penalty notice of £400 for the offence.

The woman, from Blaby, got a £300 fixed penalty notice for failing to check if the person had a valid waste carriers’ licence to remove her waste.

The double success comes just days after Harborough council launched a new campaign slogan on the side of its refuse vehicles warning: “Fly-tippers beware – we are watching you.”

The woman, in her early 30s, admitted making no checks as she allowed the culprit to remove her rubbish.

She also didn’t check if he had a waste carriers’ licence.

“Householders and businesses are legally responsible for any household waste produced on their property," warned Harborough council.

“They have a ‘duty of care’ to check that any person or business disposing of their waste is legally allowed to do so and can do this on the Environment Agency website.”

The authority is stepping up the number of secret CCTV cameras at fly-tipping hotspots in Harborough district.

Cllr Jonathan Bateman, the council’s cabinet lead for regulatory services, said: “This is a fantastic double success and huge credit to our officers for their investigative work.

“This sends out a strong message that if you fly-tip in Harborough district you are likely to be caught and fined - so don’t do it.”

Cllr Phil Knowles, who leads the Liberal Democrat group on the council, said: “Fly-tipping is not only an eyesore and potentially dangerous but it’s also extremely expensive to clean up.

“All our thanks must go to the team which has undertaken this vital task.”

There are several ways to dispose of waste that cannot go into wheeled bins:

* Take large waste items to your local recycling and waste site (tip)

* Use a licensed waste carrier to remove your waste - it is a legal requirement to use a licensed waste carrier (you can also check if someone has a licence on the Environment Agency website)

* The council’s large waste items for collection service allows for up to three large household items or 12 sacks of waste to be collected for a charge of £35.04.

Report flytipping or find out more about the Council’s anti-fly-tipping campaign Tip Off at www.harborough.gov.uk/tip-off