A WARNING has gone to people and businesses in Tenbury and the Teme Valley that fly-tipping is not just anti-social but can also be expensive.

A company owner has been ordered to pay £1,300 in fines and costs after waste he was responsible for ended up being dumped on the side of a road.

Michael Steven Burford, 33, of Austin Road in Bromsgrove, pleaded guilty to breaching his duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court.

He was fined £300 and told to pay £1,000 towards the costs of Malvern Hills District Council.

Malvern Hills District Council decided to prosecute after being called to investigate a fly-tip on land between Laylocks Garden Centre and the junction of Otherton Lane and Bromyard Road in Cotheridge, on October 21, 2016.

The amount of waste was estimated to be enough to fill a small tipper lorry and contained items including broken furniture, some bits of carpet, an office chair and some paperwork.

Investigations led to Michael Burford and his company Home and Gardens 4 U Limited.

An employee confirmed they had carried out a house clearance at an address in Worcester and had passed the waste on to another contractor to dispose of but was unable to provide details.

By law, companies that produce, import, keep, store, transport, treat or dispose of waste must take all reasonable steps to ensure it is dealt with properly.

Residents can also be prosecuted if they do not use a properly licensed trader to dispose of their waste and it is then fly-tipped.

“Fly-tipping is not a harmless crime,” said Bronwen Behan, portfolio holder for the environment on Malvern Hills District Council.

“It costs the taxpayer and landowners money to deal with, inconveniences the public and in some cases can be dangerous. Where we find evidence we will always prosecute.

“We can all play our part in helping to combat fly-tipping by ensuring we use properly licensed traders to dispose of our waste, take it to the household recycling centre ourselves or use our convenient bulky waste collection service.”

Bulky waste collections can now be booked online by visiting www.malvernhills.gov.uk/bulky-waste. Fly-tipping can also be reported online by visiting www.malvernhills.gov.uk/report-it.