A FLY-TIPPER has been fined £3,500 for illegally dumping tree trunks on private land.

Jason Jones admitted he had not done everything possible to ensure the logs had been properly disposed of but denied actually dumping the logs when he appeared in court.

The first fly-tipping incident happened at land off Chadwick Lane, at Hartlebury, near Kidder-minster, in May last year and the second on a site off the B4193 between Hartlebury and Stourport-on-Severn in October. Both pieces of land were owned by the same farmer, who has been plagued by fly-tipping.

For the first incident, Jones was fined £1,500 and received a £2,000 levy for the second charge when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Wednesday, May 11.

The 39-year-old, of Worcester Road, Titton, near Stourport-on-Severn, was also ordered to pay £2,025 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Jones told the court he normally takes his waste to a site where the wood is chipped and disposed of correctly but failed to do so on these two occasions. After the hearing Dave Roberts, Wychavon District Council’s environmental enforcement officer, said: “We investigate all fly-tipping incidents and will prosecute.”

Householders can be fined and prosecuted if they do not properly dispose of household, garage or garden waste. People can check a contractor is properly licensed by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506506.

The council is preparing court action for another eight cases of alleged fly-tipping. People can report suspicious activity on the fly-tipping hotline on 01386 565656 or at wychavon.gov.uk on the Report It page.