A gardener has been fined after being caught fly-tipping Wiltshire Council’s covert cameras.

John King, of Redlynch, pleaded guilty at Salisbury Crown Court on Monday, October 23.

The 39-year-old was operating under the name of John’s Tree & Garden Services at the time.

King admitted having dumped “a large amount of green waste” on an access road to Lode Hill Caravan Site, Salisbury, a known hotspot for illegal waste dumping.

He had originally claimed to be moving other people’s fly-tipped waste, but footage caught by the council’s cameras showed this to be incorrect.

King was issued fines and costs to a total of £2190.

The council’s covert cameras are part of its We’re Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign which bases itself on a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping.

It has spent £150,000 this year on the campaign, which includes the purchase of the cameras.

Councillor Caroline Thomas, cabinet member for transport and street scene, said: “This prosecution shows that our investment in this technology is really paying dividends, with the footage being key in capturing a fly-tipper in action.

“Having the cameras is increasing the team’s ability to conduct larger scale operations, which will hopefully result in more formal action and prosecutions against those who choose to illegally fly-tip their waste in Wiltshire.”