There has been a lot of fly-tipping in the region in the last two months, with many people dumping rubbish in not-so-subtle ways.

We’ve rounded up the most shocking incidents of fly-tipping in the North East over the last couple of months.

These people were slapped with fines of hundreds of pounds and it's safe to say, they won't be making this mistake again in a hurry.

This blatant fly-tipping did not go down well with neither councils, nor police.

Heighington

Two people were ordered to pay more than £1,700 after being caught fly-tipping on a country lane back in September.

Civic enforcement officers investigating an incident on New Lane, Heighington, identified the vehicle involved and traced it back to Connor Goslin, of Randolph Street, Coundon and Arron Cole, of Oxford Street, Eldon, in County Durham.

The two were charged in relation to the incident on December 20 last year under Section 110 of the Environment Act 1995 for failing to attend an interview as required under Section 108 of the Environment Act 1995.

The pair, however, was found guilty at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, September 7 and were each fined £660 and ordered to pay £150 costs and a victim surcharge of £66.

The Northern Echo: Rubbish dumped in Heighington Rubbish dumped in Heighington (Image: Darlington Borough Council)

Shildon

A woman whose name and address were found on packaging dumped in a back lane hundreds of yards from her home has been fined as part of an investigation into fly-tipping.

Waste, including cardboard boxes and plastic bags, was discovered in the back alley of Bouch Street, in Shildon, on January 31 this year, by a Durham County Council officer.

The officer photographed the waste and informed the council’s neighbourhood warden team, which then launched an investigation.

Among the rubbish were boxes with the name Rosie Hutchinson and her address on.

On February 2, officers visited Hutchinson’s home address in nearby Dale Grove.

She stated that the rubbish did belong to her, but it had been taken away by someone else.

The Northern Echo: Rubbish dumped in a street in ShildonRubbish dumped in a street in Shildon (Image: Durham County Council)

After being unable to provide details of the person who had taken away the rubbish, Hutchinson was issued with a legal notice to attend an interview to assist the officer in his investigation.

Despite being sent a reminder about the interview, Hutchinson, 31, failed to attend. She was then charged with failing to assist a fly-tipping investigation.

Hutchinson was found guilty in her absence at a hearing at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court.

Magistrates fined her £50, and ordered to pay costs of £470.80 and a victim surcharge of £34, totalling £554.80.

Seaham and Pittington

Two men from County Durham have been named and shamed and ordered to pay more than £2,500 between them for failing to assist council officers in fly-tipping investigations.

Through enforcement, Durham County Council has managed to successfully take action against the two men after waste was found dumped near to Seaham Grange Industrial Estate and Pittington.

The first fly-tip was found beside the A1018 dual carriageway near to Seaham Grange Industrial Estate in May last year.

Household waste, cardboard boxes from children's toys, as well as broken appliances and TV boxes were found on the grassed area, alongside evidence linking the waste to a different individual.

When the person was contacted by council enforcement officers and interviewed under caution, he stated that his former girlfriend had paid to have the waste removed.

She then told officers that she paid for the waste to be taken away by Liam Sinclair.

Twenty-year-old Sinclair, from Windemere Road, Seaham, was asked to attend an interview in April this year, but failed to show and did not contact officers to rearrange.

In a separate case, a fly-tip was found on land at Elemore Lane, Pittington, earlier this year, where wardens found numerous pieces of evidence relating to Craig Henderson, of David Terrace, Quarrington Hill.

An initial letter was sent to the 40-year-old asking him to contact the council and he was then asked to attend an interview.

He failed to attend, however, and did not make contact with officers.

Both Sinclair and Henderson failed to attend Peterlee Magistrates' Court for their court date, where the matters were heard in their absence.

Magistrates fined Sinclair £660 and ordered him to pay costs of £488.29 and a £66 victim surcharge, for his failure to assist in the investigation into a fly-tip near Seaham Grange Industrial Estate, totalling £1,214.29.

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