A roofer who dumped almost two tonnes of rubbish in a country lane has been severely punished.

Daniel Murphy, of Maidstone, was prosecuted after the mass of domestic and commercial waste was found in a lane near Ashford.

Folkestone Magistrate's Court heard that Murphy, who runs a roofing company, deliberately dumped the waste in an attempt to avoid the cost of disposing of it properly.

However, investigating council officers found a name and telephone number amongst the massive pile of rubbish, which they used to track down Murphy.

The dump, which included plastic roofing, drainpipes, roof insulation and various household items such as a scooter and an animal hutch, weighed around 1.75 tonnes.

Various letters were sent to the Maidstone man inviting him in for interview, and he eventually attended an interview under caution on May 14, 2018.

However, he then failed to respond to demands to attend a further interview and to provide details of the waste carriers he used.

"Fly-tipping is a scourge of the countryside"

He was prosecuted in absence on Wednesday March 11, and received a 16 month prison sentence, suspended for a year.

He was also given an extra four weeks jail time, also suspended for a year, for failing to respond to bail.

He also needs to complete 180 hours of unpaid community service within a year to avoid prison, despite the fact that he now works away from the area.

Additionally, he was ordered to pay a fine of £3,744.24 and a victim surcharge of £115, to be paid at a rate of £250 a month.

In passing sentence, District Judge Justin Barron said: “This is a serious offence. Mr Murphy deliberately dumped the waste in order to save money, it was done on a commercial basis.

"The sentence reflects the seriousness of the case.”

Cllr Andrew Buchanan, Ashford Borough Council portfolio holder for Environment and Land Management, said: “Fly-tipping is a scourge of the countryside and we’re determined to do all we can to stamp it out.

"This case demonstrates once again that, where we have sufficient evidence, the council will have no hesitation in pursuing people through the courts."

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