Hart District Council has prosecuted a resident for failing to respond to legal notices and requests for information following a fly-tipping incident in Crondall.

He failed to appear in court but was prosecuted in his absence. He was ordered to pay £1,419 in total at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, made up of a £220 fine, £1,111 in costs and £88 victim surcharge.

Officers were able to identify an address in the dumped household waste in Crondall Road in February. The council wrote to the man living at this address multiple times, raising enquiries about the fly-tipped waste.

After these failed attempts, he was served with a notice under Section 108 of the Environment Act 1995 requiring him to attend the council offices in person to answer questions about the waste. Failure to comply with a Section 108 notice is a criminal offence. The man did not attend.

Cllr Tina Collins, portfolio holder for Community Safety, said: “We remain committed to robust enforcement action against environmental offences, including fly-tipping, and failures to engage with lawful investigations.

“It is really important to respond to legal notices, not just to help with the investigation and stop fly-tipping, but also because failure to respond is a criminal offence.”

Residents are encouraged to report any suspected fly-tipping via FixMyStreet at https://hart.fixmystreet.com or directly to the Council on 01252 622 122.