A court has ordered a woman to pay a fine of more than £550 after waste linked to her household was dumped in the countryside.

The fly-tip, made-up of cardboard boxes, packaging, and other household waste, was reported to South Cambridgeshire District Council in May 2021 after a passer-by had found it on Fen Road, Milton.

A council enforcement officer visited the site and discovered that, amongst the waste, there was a printed address that linked it to a property in Sapley, Huntingdon.

During an interview, the couple living there admitted that they had paid a company a large sum of money to have the cardboard and other waste taken away.

However, they did not make any checks to ensure that this company was a registered waste carrier.

No paperwork was asked for or supplied, including receipts, invoices, quotes, or Waste Transfer Notes.

Their waste was then dumped in the countryside.

The case was heard at Cambridge Magistrates Court on August 23, when one member of the household, from Huntingdon, pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

They were given a fine penalty totalling £554.

During the court hearing, the solicitor for the council said: “If she had undertaken the ‘due diligence’ required and carried out the basic checks, she would have realised that the person or company disposing of her waste was not an authorised person or regulated to do so.”

All households have a duty of care to ensure that any contractor or business removing waste from a property is checked against the Environment Agency registers for authorised waste carriers.

And, prior to waste being removed from a household, a Waste Transfer Note is completed.

If these checks or paperwork are not completed and waste is allowed to be taken away by unlicensed carriers, it can lead to fines and a criminal record.

Cllr Brian Milnes, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s lead cabinet member for environment, said: “This is another example of someone paying cash, with no questions asked, to get rid of their rubbish.

"It is vital that, if you have waste you are paying to be removed, you ensure that whoever is taking it off your hands is a registered waste carrier.

"It’s easy to check this on the Environment Agency website.

"There should also be paperwork that clearly describes what the waste is and where it is being disposed of safely."