A WOMAN who paid for waste to be removed from her property has been fined £549 after it was fly-tipped in Crondall.

Demi Bird, of Rowan Way, Alton, admitted failing in her duty of care to ensure her waste was disposed of legally under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 when she appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on July 13.

She paid a person driving past her property £50 in cash to remove her waste which was later found fly-tipped at Clare Park Residential Home in Crondall.

Bird was issued with a fixed-penalty notice which she initially disputed and then refused to pay, which led to her court appearance.

Cllr Alan Oliver, Hart District Council’s environment cabinet member, said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal offence which damages the environment, risks public health and costs taxpayers to clean up – or, in this case, the landowner.

“Householders must remember they can be penalised if they employ someone to dispose of their waste which is then fly-tipped, so they should always use a licensed waste carrier. If people exercise their duty of care it helps combat illegal fly-tippers or puts them out of business.

“Ignoring a fixed-penalty notice for the offence is not advised as this will ultimately lead to a court conviction.”

Licensed carriers can be found at www.hants.gov.uk/

wasteandrecycling/flytipping