Eastleigh man slapped with hefty fine after mound of rubbish dumped in Curdridge field

James Michael Ball, from Eastleigh, pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence in a field off Botley Road in Curdridge following an investigation by Winchester City Council.

The rubbish included a large builder’s bag, vehicle tyres, green waste, a bread bin, paint pots, cardboard, paperback books, a laptop, iPad, clothes and correspondence. 

The pile of rubbish | Credit: Winchester City Council (Image: Winchester City Council)

Council enforcement teams traced the waste to an address in Horton Heath and the homeowner pointed them in the direction of Ball, whose business it had been transferred to for disposal.

At the start of the trial at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court, Ball pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence taking place by another in one of his business-registered vehicles. 

Magistrates ordered him to pay £325 towards prosecution costs, £250 in compensation to the landowner to cover removal costs and further enforced a £22 victim surcharge, totalling £597. 

Cllr Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency said: “This sends a strong message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated in our district – our teams worked hard to ensure that robust evidence was collected to ensure that a conviction could be brought forward, we won’t hesitate to do similar for other illegal fly-tippers.”

The pile of rubbish | Winchester City Council (Image: Winchester City Council)

The council is encouraging residents to report any person seen illegally fly-tipping via their website or by calling the customer service team on 0300 300 0013. 

It is also urging residents to ensure that they use registered waste carriers when disposing of waste – credentials can be checked on the Environment Agency’s website.