A man has been fined over £1500 for fly tipping in a beauty spot in the county.

Mark Gardiner, 57, of Herons Way in Caerphilly was charged with waste related offences after his vehicle was seen tipping in Badminton earlier this year.

He appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court on December 5 and alleged that two men had collected the rubbish from his address on the day of the tip.

Due to the fact he could not identify the individuals he admitted to failing to ensure that the waste was transferred to an authorised person and was fined £721, along with a £72 Victim Surcharge and costs of £818.50, totalling £1611.50.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Tourism Cllr Paul Hughes said: “Fly-tipping is an issue that has a negative impact on our communities and local environment. In this case, a resident was disturbed at night as waste was being fly-tipped.

“We are keen not only to punish those who offend, but also to highlight the punishments received so as to deter other offenders. The Council invests time and resources in gathering evidence to pursue offenders through the courts and this approach has proved effective in keeping down both the amount of fly-tipping in this area, and the cost of clearing it up.”

The council also advise that residents and businesses only give their rubbish to an Environment Agency registered waste carrier.