NORTH Devon Council has successfully prosecuted a local man for two offences of fly-tipping.

Mr Darren Elder from Bratton Fleming pleaded guilty to both charges of fly-tipping under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at North and East Devon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 11. He was convicted and ordered to pay £3,059 in costs by the court.

Mr Elder was identified by the council’s enforcement officers through the fly-tipped waste he dumped on the outskirts of Bratton Fleming whilst renovating his property.

North Devon Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Rodney Cann said: “Fly-tipping is an anti-social crime, which costs councils millions of pounds a year to deal with. We are lucky to live in an area as beautiful as North Devon, and we each have an individual responsibility to keep it that way.

“This includes disposing of our waste in a legal and responsible way. It is disappointing that there’s a minority of residents who want to save themselves the cost of doing so by fly-tipping their waste, leaving the taxpayer or landowner to foot the bill.

“I hope this prosecution sends a clear message that we take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping, and it will cost anyone who is caught committing this offence a lot more than it would to dispose of waste legally.”

To report littering, fly-tipping or other environmental offences please email: [email protected] .

You can also report incidents on the council’s website: http://northdevon.gov.uk/flytipping .