A GROUP of small businesses on Alton’s Mill Lane trading estate could be hundreds of pounds out of pocket after their car park was targeted for illegal fly-tipping.

While East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) says it cannot help with the clearance costs as it is private land, it has determined to investigate the incident with the aim of bringing a prosecution.

According to a spokeman for computer equipment company Ceratech Accuratus – one of the businesses which uses the car park – skiploads of what appears to be site-clearance waste was dumped on the privately-owned car park at Grove Park last Sunday.

Thought to have been around three skiploads of soil, rubble, metal, plastic and other debris, the rubbish also included a discarded highways skip licence, issued by Hammersmith and Fulham Highways Authority to Kingston Skips for clearance of a site on Kilmain Road in London.

The licence cost £68.70 and has an identification number.

But instead of disposing of the trade waste in the accepted way, to avoid the cost of disposal the perpetrator appears to have driven his skip lorry down the A3 to Alton to dispose of the rubbish.

Since the waste has been dumped on private land the cost of disposal will now have to be picked up either by the landowner, London-based GM Estates, or by the six businesses who use the car park, while the offender appears to have got away with just the cost of his fuel.

It was not just that car park that was targeted on Sunday. According to the Ceratech spokesman, a second private car park on neighbouring Newman’s Way became the dumping ground for a similar load of waste. In this case the offending vehicle flattened a protective post, designed to bar access to the site.

Meanwhile, in Grove Park, while there was no damage on entry, the surface of the car park has been badly scarred by deep grooves, thought to have been made by dragging a skip along the ground.

The waste mound also served to block in a number of parked vehicles and has, according to the Ceratech spokesman, caused mayhem since the site provides parking for around 60 vehicles that have had to be parked elsewhere.

Commenting on the incident, a spokesman for EHDC confirmed that the authority would be investigating the fly-tipping incident in a bid to determine where it has come from and who was responsible for it.

He said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on the district and EHDC treats it very seriously. It costs the council and private landowners thousands to clear and causes pollution and environmental damage. We are committed to bringing prosecutions against fly-tippers where we can and investigate tips for evidence of where it has come from and who has handled it.”

And he added: “Residents must also be aware of their legal responsibilities. If they do not check that a waste carrier holds the appropriate licence then they can also be prosecuted, even if they paid for their waste to be removed in good faith.”

This could amount to a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if dealt with by a magistrates’ court or an unlimited fine and up to five years imprisonment if the case is serious enough to go to crown court.

“There are many secluded and remote corners of East Hampshire that are particularly vulnerable to fly-tippers. Fly-tips on private land must be cleared by the landowners themselves but we can offer farmers and landowners advice on how to secure their land to keep fly-tippers at bay.

“EHDC is always looking to bring prosecutions if we can. We would ask anyone who sees fly-tipping taking place to contact us straight away on 01730 234061. Try to pass on vehicle registrations, a description of those committing the offence, details of the items being fly-tipped, the time, the date and any photographs or videos you can take. We can then investigate the incident.”

While the Grove Park businesses are now facing clearance costs, they have a certain amount of evidence that could possibly help to bring about a prosecution, including CCTV footage.

In the meantime, Hampshire County Council has taken the decision to set up a dedicated officer in Trading Standards to work exclusively on reducing fly-tipping. The officer will focus on improving reporting and intelligence to increase prosecutions, as well as promoting ways the public can help.

Part of a new fly-tipping strategy, the two-year post is expected to be up and running by the end of this month.

Hampshire County Council has also opened up household waste recycling centres to small and medium-sized enterprises for the first time.

The need to develop a new strategy to deal with what is described as “a significant problem” for Hampshire has been driven by escalating incidents and the associated cost.