A man from Wiltshire has been fined over a thousand pounds by Wiltshire Council after leaving carrier bags filled with household waste on a public path.

Mr Simon Hope of London Road in Calne, was ordered to pay £1,503.36 in fines, costs and compensation after pleading guilty to fly-tipping during a hearing at Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday 27 August.

It comes after Wiltshire Council received two reports of flytipping on a public highway near The Green in Galne on Monday, March 18.

After tracing the waste back to Hope, the Calne man was issued a £400 fixed penalty notice which he failed to pay, and was then prosecuted by the council.

The area in Calne has been described by the council as a "fly-tipping hotspot", with six reports made over the last year.

If Hope's offence had taken place after April 2024, Hope's original fixed penalty notice would have been £1,000.

Some of the rubbish which was left on the public footpath in CalneSome of the rubbish which was left on the public footpath in Calne (Image: Wiltshire Council) “We are committed to tackling fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and as part of our Business Plan commitment and our award-winning We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, we have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling environmental crime," said Councillor Nick Holder, cabinet member for highways and street scene at Wiltshire Council.

“This investment has so far seen a 125 per cent increase in fly-tipping prosecutions and a 118 per cent increase in fixed penalty notices in the past year, which shows that we will take all legal options available to us wherever we find fly-tipping.

“The fines serve as a clear warning that illegal waste disposal will not be tolerated, and offenders will face serious consequences.

"In this case, Mr Hope could have avoided court action by paying the fixed penalty notice but he failed to do so, and he ended up in court instead."

He added: "Anyone who spots fly-tipping at this or any other location in Wiltshire should report it to us and we will investigate and take action.

“Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities, and our message is clear – we will take action to tackle environmental crime in Wiltshire.”