PEOPLE looking to remove waste are being warned to check the credentials of anyone they hire after a man was ordered to pay nearly £5,000 for fly-tipping.

Last month, Aaron Bull, 28, of Beech Avenue was found guilty at Swindon Magistrates’ court of dumping waste from at Old Road in Badbury and in a nearby field.

He had been tasked to do the job by the contractor hired to carry out the refit, who he knew on Facebook.

Bull, who had been in the military for seven years and denied the charges, was found to not have had a licence to carry waste or dispose of it and despite claiming he had taken it to Purton waste tip, the court heard it was closed on the day in question.

Yesterday he was ordered to pay a fine, the cost of the trial and the costs of the Environment Agency, which came to £4,835 in total.

Handing down the fine, Chairman of the Bench Alison Auvary, said: “Fly-tipping is a significant offence and has a big social impact. It is something this court takes very seriously.”

Speaking after the sentencing, Paul Sarahs, an enforcement officer for Swindon Borough Council, warned that people need the correct permits and just handing waste over to an associate could have high costs.

He said: “There has been an increase in members of the public using social media to get waste removed from their premises.

“Many residents do not realise they have a duty of care to find out where this waste is going.

“They must make sure the person they have hired has the sufficient licence to carry waste. As we have seen here, if you do not it can end up costing a lot of money.”

The offence occurred last year and centred on the refurbishment of Kebria Tandoori in Highworth.

Bull was paid £160 by the contractor to take away two van loads of material, which included plasterboard, tiles and other fittings.

However, a resident living near to Old Road found the piles of rubbish and among them was a notice from the restaurant saying it would be closed for two weeks.

During the trial, Bull had defended himself and said he had taken the rubbish to Purton tip but the court was told it had been shut on the day he claimed to have taken it.

After the verdict was announced, Bull branded the decision an ‘absolute joke’ and even during sentencing maintained much of his evidence had been ignored.