Shopping bags full of waste dumped on a public footpath have earned the culprit a £400 fine.

The six carriers were found on Aspen Close in Royal Wootton Bassett by local people who reported them to Wiltshire Council.

The offender was interviewed under caution by environmental enforcement officers and admitted the offence but couldn't give a reasonable for how they arrived at the spot some distance from their own property.

Cabinet member for waste Dr Mark McClelland said: “The perpetrator of this fly-tip could have easily taken their waste to the local household recycling centre or used their own household waste or recycling containers to lawfully dispose of his waste.

"Instead, they chose to dump the waste and will now pay the £400 fixed penalty notice.

“As set out in our business plan, we are committed to tackling fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and as part of our We’re Targeting Fly-tippers campaign, we have invested a significant sum into more cameras and staff to catch these environmental criminals.

“We will prosecute anyone who thinks it is acceptable to dump their waste in our beautiful county."

The council has said it receives 200 reports per month about fly-tipping, particularly on rural roads where fly-tippers think they are not going to be seen.

But new covert cameras have been installed in various places to help prosecute more people.

The most serious case recently resulted in the offender being given a driving ban and having their vehicle crushed.

Nicholas Farmer, of Camelot Close, Andover, appeared at Salisbury Magistrates Court on October 6, and pleaded guilty to multiple environmental offences. 

The Magistrates imposed an 80-hour community order, and an immediate three-month disqualification from driving. Farmer was rdered to pay £750 in costs to Wiltshire Council. His crushed van was recycled.  

People issued with a fixed penalty cannot be named for legal reasons as it is not a conviction in the law courts.

To find out more about the council’s push against fly tipping in Wiltshire click here.