Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) has successfully prosecuted a man who dumped waste outside Clanville Village Hall.

Jason Mills, of no fixed abode, was ordered to pay almost £1,000 by Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court after dumping waste including mattresses and boxes of household waste.

TVBC’s environment portfolio holder councillor Alison Johnston, said she was “pleased” with the result.

Mills admitted fly-tipping the rubbish outside Clanville Village Hall on August 29, 2019, after being paid £25 to remove the waste by a resident.

Two double mattresses, boxes of household waste, and black bags of further rubbish were left at the site by the 49-year-old. Though the hall has its own local recycling centre (LRC), dumping large and bulky waste at such sites is still considered to be fly-tipping.

An investigation by Test Valley Borough Council then found that Mills was responsible for fly-tipping the waste, and so he was brough to Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court.

On March 16, he admitted the fly-tipping offence and was fined £60.25, made to pay £827.75 in costs, and a £32 victim surcharge.

Cllr Johnston, said: “While I appreciate this waste wasn’t left in a field or along a quiet road, fly-tipping is still fly-tipping and the costs to our officers of clearing it up, remain the same.

“Our LRCs are extremely clear in that waste should not be left by the bins. Significant or bulky waste needs to be disposed of correctly and legally, and I’m pleased that the court has handed out a substantial cost in recognition of this. I would always urge those who are using a waste carrier to check the licence of those they ask to carry out the disposing, via the Environment Agency website.”