A TORFAEN man has been ordered to pay almost £1000 after he was caught fly tipping in a country lane in Pontypool.

Paul Tarran, aged 57, of Llys Gwyrdd, Henllys, Cwmbran, pleaded guilty to fly tipping two sofas, a TV monitor, a microwave and other household items in a lane on the outskirts of New Inn in May last year.

He was prosecuted at Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court for the offence and ordered to pay £535 in fines, £234 in compensation to the council to cover the costs of collecting and disposing of the rubbish, £150 in additional costs and a victim surcharge of £50.

Richard Marshall, senior environmental health officer with Torfaen council called it a “blatant act”.

“Fly tipping is a serious environmental crime that despoils the environment and blights communities, and this was a blatant act of fly tipping in the countryside during the middle of the day,” he added,

“We are very pleased with the level of fine and compensation awarded by the magistrates in this case. It shows that they take fly tipping very seriously and are prepared to issue significant fines against offenders.”

He also said he hoped it would send a “clear message” to other similar offenders.

“Due to advances in surveillance technology, investigation techniques and the use of forensic marking solutions the chances of catching fly tippers are greater than ever,” he said. “We hope convictions such as this send out a very clear warning message to would-be fly tippers. Every incident of fly tipping reported to Torfaen council is investigated and offenders will be prosecuted wherever possible.”

Councillor Gwyneira Clark, executive member for housing, planning and public protection, said: “There really is no excuse for this behaviour and I hope that this result will make people think twice before acting so irresponsibly.

“All the items fly tipped by Mr Tarran can be taken to our household waste recycling centre in New Inn, just minutes from where he dumped them in a public lane. This service is free of charge – van drivers or those with a trailer will need to request a permit in advance which is also free of charge.”

Further information on the work that local councils and other agencies in Wales are undertaking to combat fly tipping can be found at www.flytippingactionwales.org