THREE men have been fined more than £6,000 between them after they were found to have illegally dumped waste.

The trio, two of whom are from Basingstoke, appeared in court earlier this week where they all pleaded guilty for the separate offences.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said they had a "zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and will prosecute where there is evidence to do so".

21 individuals or companies have been convicted of fly-tipping since May 2018 by the borough council.

Jamie Chandler, of Montserrat Road, Popley, was ordered to a pay a total of £1,694.80 after he pleaded guilty to dumping a large quantity of waste from a hire van at Beach Park recycling site in Station Road, Oakley on Monday 18 March 2019.

The dumped waste included plasterboard, chairs, wood, a bed frame, a canvas picture and a builder’s bag.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Magistrates fined Chandler £320 and ordered him to pay £1,342.80 in prosecution and clearance costs, plus £32 in victim surcharge.

Talip Polat, of Landseer Close, Black Dam, was ordered to pay a total of £1,718.88 after he pleaded guilty to dumping a large white freezer unit with no door from his car at Morrisons recycling site, off Worting Road, Basingstoke on Tuesday 16 July 2019.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Magistrates fined him £450 and ordered him to pay £1,223.88 in prosecution and clearance costs, plus £45 in victim surcharge.

Adam Wallace, of Shiphay Avenue, Torquay, Devon, was ordered to pay a total of £2,921.40 after pleading guilty to illegally dumping commercial and household waste on an area of public land adjacent to Boyce Close, Basingstoke.

Wallace, who traded as Wallace Plumbing and Heating at the time, removed waste from a house as part of a bathroom re-fit and fly-tipped it on or around 1 December 2019.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Magistrates fined Wallace £1,493 and ordered him to pay £1,279.40 in prosecution and clearance costs, plus £149 in victim surcharge.

Cabinet member for environment and enforcement Cllr Hayley Eachus said: “Witnesses have played a vital role in securing these prosecutions and I would like to thank our residents for their ongoing support in helping us stamp out this criminal act.

“Two of these cases have involved fly-tipping at our recycling sites. We will not tolerate the abuse of these sites and offenders will be taken to task.

“Fly-tipping is a crime that carries a maximum of five years imprisonment at Crown Court, it is also costly if you are caught.

"We take a zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping and will prosecute where there is evidence to do so. Since May 2018 we have convicted 21 individuals or companies for fly-tipping offences and we will continue this work.”