Two people have been prosecuted for separate fly-tipping-related offences in County Durham.

Durham County Council took legal action against William Townsley, of East Howle, Ferryhill, after he was caught on CCTV depositing controlled waste on public land in West Cornforth.

Peterlee Magistrates Court heard how the council’s neighbourhood wardens discovered a large amount of waste dumped near the level-crossing at West Cornforth Wood.

On review of the footage caught by CCTV cameras which have been deployed in the area to assist with investigations, a man was seen removing the waste from a white Peugeot Tipper.

DVLA checks proved the vehicle was registered to the 51-year-old and he was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, which went unpaid.

In court, the defendant pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a total of £760 which included a £400 fine, £200 in costs and a victim surcharge of £160.

The magistrates also heard how neighbourhood wardens attended Elliot Road, Peterlee, following reports of a fly tip.

On investigation, a deposit of waste was discovered consisting of two mattresses, a bed base, sofa, a chair and several black bags containing general household waste.

Evidence of the waste was linked to Chloe Morrison, of Galloway Road, Peterlee. Several attempts were made to contact her with no response.

In court, Morrison admitted paying an unknown person to remove the waste and the 23-year-old was found guilty of not taking reasonable measures to prevent a fly tip.

She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay a total of £126 which included £100 in costs and a victim surcharge of £26.

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “These prosecutions show we are taking action against those who fly-tip in County Durham.

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“Your waste is your responsibility and with so many ways to dispose of waste responsibly, there really is no excuse for fly-tipping.

“Across the county we have a number of Household Waste Recycling Centres which are free to use and if you've got large items to dispose of like furniture or white goods which are too big to fit into your bin, we can take it away for a small fee with our bulky waste collection service.

“It is also hugely important that if you are paying someone to dispose of your waste for you, you make sure the person collecting your rubbish has a valid license to transfer waste and that they dispose of it correctly.”

Incidences of fly tipping in County Durham can be reported online at www.durham.gov.uk/flytipping