Fly tipping a mattress led to a Loughton man having to pay £952 in fines and costs.
Neil Smith, of The Croft, Loughton pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates Court to fly-tipping at Oakley Court, Loughton.
CCTV evidence
Evidence was gathered by Epping Forest District Council after it became aware, on 4 January, of a mattress on the grass area adjacent to the bin store that services properties in Oakley Court, Loughton.
CCTV evidence of the incident showed two people with a van depositing the mattress at about 9.pm on 21st December 2017 and in court Mr Smith admitted fly-tipping a mattress in Oakley Court on that date.
Magistrates agreed that it was a negligent act and ordered Mr Smith to pay a fine of £320. He was also ordered to make a contribution towards the Council’s prosecution costs of £600 together with a Victim Surcharge of £32.
A lesson for anybody tempted to fly-tip
A spokesman for Epping Forest District Council said: “This is a lesson for anybody tempted to fly-tip. It would have been far cheaper for Mr Smith to contact us and arrange for proper disposal of the mattress in the first place.
“We take fly-tipping very seriously in our District and will thoroughly investigate all instances either identified by our Environment and Neighbourhood Team, or reported to them.
Report online
“We would urge residents to report fly-tipping online.”