A MAN who dumped foam waste extracted from fridges at a known fly-tipping spot in Bromsgrove has to pay £652 after being caught on camera.

Gareth Rich, of Linden Road, Bournville, appeared via video link at Redditch magistrates Court on Friday (December 18) and pleaded guilty to two charges of causing controlled waste to be deposited on land at Icknield Street, Bromsgrove, on two separate occasions on May 9, 2019.

Bromsgrove District Council had installed CCTV cameras at fly-tipping hotspots in January 2019, which were activated by movement.

An officer visited the lay-by in Icknield Street on May 10 and spotted the waste but unable to reach the camera without ladders, returned 4 days later to retrieve it.

The camera had recorded events that had taken place on the 9th May 2019 at 11.41am when a light blue Ford Transit van was seen to pull up and reverse into the spot where the waste had been seen by the officer the next day.

Footage goes on to show the same light blue Ford Transit returning to the exact same site at 5pm the same day.

The van was distinctive as it had two stickers in the rear window, one blue and in the middle of the window and a second in the top left-hand corner and the registration, being clearly depicted on the photographs from the second visit, was confirmed by the DVLA to belong to Mr Rich.

Later, under caution, Mr Rich confirmed as being the person dumping the foam waste from fridges which he had picked up from the side of the road, after he was turned away from the tip but that he hadn’t received any money for the waste.

Magistrates were advised of the deliberate nature of this offence with not only a cost to the taxpayer but to the environment.

The Council’s Portfolio-Holder for Environmental Services, Cllr Margaret Sherrey, said: “Bromsgrove District Council takes fly tipping very seriously and we will not tolerate fly-tippers who not only cost our taxpayers money but are creating eyesore in our beautiful countryside.

“We always investigate fly tips and where we find any evidence we will pursue a conviction.

“I hope this conviction deters others from using Bromsgrove to dump their waste and we urge residents who witness fly tipping to contact the council or the local police.”