A MAN whose waste was illegally dumped near King’s Somborne by someone he had paid to carry out the work has been ordered to pay hundreds of pounds.

James Hart had arranged for a carrier to take his rubbish away, but it was found in Clarendon Way, Ashley, on two occasions in December last year.

On May 9, Basingstoke Magistrates Court heard that a number of black sacks, cardboard boxes and electrical cables were discovered.

Hart, of Woodfield Drive, Winchester, pleaded guilty to breaching his duty of care on the two instances.

The 48-year-old was fined £200 and made to pay £250 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Test Valley Borough Council's environmental services portfolio holder, Councillor Alison Johnston, said: “Your waste is your responsibility and ignorance is no excuse. Your responsibility does not end with passing your waste to a collection service – you must check that they are correctly licensed. Wherever possible, we will seek to prosecute with sufficient evidence no matter what is fly-tipped.

“It is a hugely selfish crime and we will not stand for it. We have a zero-tolerance approach and are determined to do all we can to stop anyone from thinking of doing this. If anyone has any questions about disposing of their waste, our environmental services team is always happy to help on 01264 368000.”