Two householders have been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £916 for fly tipping offences at a Darlington nature reserve.

Luke Wood, of Clifton Road, Darlington and Sophie Wood, of south Street, Sunnybrow, Crook, were both found guilty of breaching Section 110(2) and (5) of the Environment Act 1995 after their cases were heard in their absence at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court.

They were each fined £220 and ordered to pay £150 costs and a victim surcharge of £88.

The court heard that on June 6 this year, Darlington Borough Council received a report of a fly tip at Maidendale Nature Reserve, where a witness had seen males dumping waste and driving away in a van at speed.

Civic enforcement officers attended the following day and found a large pile of household waste dumped on a grassed area within the reserve, which included furniture, toys, packages and a mattress. Evidence was found linking it to both Luke Wood and Sophie Wood.

Both were invited to a voluntary interview under caution but failed to attend. A notice was issued to each of them under Section 108 of the Environment Act 1995 requiring them to attend council offices for interview or make suitable alternative arrangements. They both failed to do so, and the case was referred to the court.

Councillor Amanda Riley, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “These cases once again act as a clear reminder that we will take action against those who flout the law.

“We would also remind householders that if you pay or ask someone, other than the council, to take your waste away, you should always check they have a waste carrier licence and ask for a waste transfer note. If your waste is fly tipped, you could be fined along with the individual or company you used to remove it.

“Our staff work hard to keep our streets and back lanes clean and fly tipping of any kind will not be tolerated.”

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The Environment Agency issues waste carrier licences. You can check if a company has a licence using the online register at https://bit.ly/CheckENV Information on the correct means of disposing of all types of waste can be found on the council’s website www.darlington.gov.uk.

Most household items can be disposed of for free at the tip – for more details visit www.darlington.gov.uk/tip. If you can’t get to the tip you can book a Bulky Waste Collection – for more details visit www.darlington.gov.uk/bulkywaste.

You can report a fly-tip, or anyone you see fly-tipping, online at www.darlington.gov.uk/reportit.