A man from Haddenham has been fined after waste from their household and construction materials was found fly-tipped in Willingham.

The fly-tip was reported to South Cambridgeshire District Council by a passer-by in March and discovered on Meadow Road in the village.

A Council Enforcement Officer visited the site and discovered that, amongst the waste, there was a printed address that linked the rubbish to the property in Haddenham.

The household had paid someone cash to remove the waste, but without checking whether they were a Registered Waste Carrier. The person who removed the waste then dumped it in Willingham.

A Fixed Penalty Notice of £300 was issued to the resident for failing to prevent someone from committing a fly-tip and not ensuring all necessary checks had been carried out on the person who took the waste away.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Brian Milnes, said: “It is imperative that anyone who is hired to remove waste is a Registered Waste Carrier.

"It’s easy to check this on the Environment Agency website. There should also be paperwork that clearly describes what the waste is and where it is being disposed of safely.

"This case highlights that it is very much the responsibility of the household who has waste to get rid of to ensure that they know where it is going to end up.

"Searching local social media groups for people who will remove waste for cash, no questions asked, isn’t good enough.”

One of the District Councillors for Willingham, Cllr Dan Lentell, added: “So much of the fly-tipping that happens around Willingham is done for profit - a quick buck at everyone else’s expense.

"I'm very pleased to see the Council taking a pro-active approach. I would urge all the admins of local social media groups to help prevent this kind of fly-tipping by checking that no one is advertising rubbish removal services on their pages which aren't fully licenced and legal.”

If you witness someone fly-tipping, call the police on 999 and report it as an environmental crime in progress. Report fly-tipping that you come across to the Council at www.scambs.gov.uk/report

You can check whether a waste carrier is registered with the Environment Agency online. This free service is available for anyone to access at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers.