A WARNING for people to be cautious about who they hire to dispose of their household rubbish was issued after a Hillingdon man found himself with a court bill of more than £1,000.

Clayton Sadler, 39, of Lynhurst Crescent, was found guilty following a brief trial at High Wycombe Magistrates Court.

He appeared before a district judge and was found to have failed in his duty of care as a householder when he transferred household waste to an unknown waste carrier.

In September last year, officers working on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire found a pile of household waste dumped illegally at Andrew Hill Lane, Hedgerley, near Gerrards Cross, the court heard.

Evidence in the waste led officers to interview Sadler at Southall police station.

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At the hearing, he explained he had hired a 'man with a van' to remove and dispose of rubbish for him.

He admitted, though, that he’d made no effort to check if the person taking his waste away was a registered waste carrier. He was unable to provide any details of the man's identity.

The judge fined him £420 and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £600 plus a victim surcharge of £42, making a total to pay of £1,062.

Luisa Sullivan, of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: "Yet again, a householder ends up in court for failing to take the necessary precautions to make sure a waste carrier is bona fide.

“If you entrust your waste to an unidentified 'man with a van', there's a good chance it will be fly-tipped to avoid disposal charges - and you'll be the one who ends up in court."

Since November 2003, the Waste Partnership has secured more than 630 convictions against individuals and companies for illegal dumping and related offences. 

A spokesman said it had resulted in a significant saving to the Bucks taxpayer.

If you see any dumped waste, report it online at http://old.buckscc.gov.uk/fly