Two Darlington residents have been slapped with fines after black bags were found dumped in a back lane of the town. 

Lee Thomas and Chloe Hogan, both of Otterburn Close, were found guilty of breaching Section 110(2) and (5) of the Environment Act 1995 at Peterlee Magistrates' Court on Thursday (October 24).

The duo - who did not appear at the court - were each fined £220 and ordered to pay £150 costs and a victim surcharge of £88 after being linked to the fly-tipping. 

The court heard how on May 19, several black bags were found dumped between Hercules Street and Ajax Street.

Darlington Council officers went to the lane and found some distinctive foam and wood sticking out of one of the bags - which had been photographed on the drive of a nearby Otterburn Close home weeks before by a concerned member of the public. 

The officers asked the residents at the property, Hogan and Thomas, to attend an interview under caution. However, they repeatedly asked for it to be rearranged. 

They were eventually issued with a notice requiring them to attend council offices, and after both failed to appear, their cases were referred to court.

Councillor Amanda Riley, the council’s cabinet member for stronger communities, said: “Dumping rubbish in our back lanes will not be tolerated and these prosecutions are another reminder that we will take action against those who flout the law.

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

She added: “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.

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"If your waste is fly tipped, you could be fined along with the individual or company you used to remove it.”

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, and you can report fly-tipping at www.darlington.gov.uk/reportit.