A female resident has paid the price for fly-tipping outside the main gates of Fosse Cross Recycling Centre.

A witness spotted the woman dumping waste outside the gates of the tip near Cirencester when the site was closed.

The incident was reported to a Cotswold District Council environmental warden who issued the woman with a £400 fixed penalty fine.

It was later reduced to £200 as the woman paid in full within ten days.

Cabinet member for environment at CDC Cllr Sue Coakley said: “I realise that this resident came to the recycling site with the intention of disposing of her waste legally, but there is no excuse for her – or anyone else – to just dump items outside when the gates are closed.

"Fly-tipping is a crime and we will always take action when we track down offenders.

"There are good arrangements in place for everyone to dispose of their waste in accordance with the law, so there is absolutely no reason for fly tipping.

"We will continue to use every means at our disposal to reduce the number of incidents in the Cotswolds, and we’re always grateful for tip-offs from the public who can call us directly to report any suspicious activity."

The incident comes days after members of CDC called for Fosse Cross tip to return to previous longer opening hours and to re-open on Tuesdays after concerns about fly-tipping was raised.