A "man with a van" who collected waste from a home and dumped it in a village has been fined.

The man, from Swaffham, was fined £1,000 by Breckland Council after being caught fly-tipping waste in Ashill, near Watton.

Breckland Council launched an investigation after receiving a report from a member of the public about fly-tipping on agricultural land - which linked the waste to a Norwich household.

The homeowner confirmed they had hired a "man with a van" via social media to dispose of the waste legally at a local recycling centre.

The van driver had agreed to take the waste away for just £20 and take it directly to a local recycling centre.

The original waste owner provided contact details of the driver along with text messages and a list of what waste had been collected from their property.

The van driver - who was originally from Swaffham but had moved to Reading - was tracked down by Breckland Council Enforcement Officers.

He admitted to fly-tipping in Ashill, as well as failing to hold a waste carriers licence and providing a waste transfer note.

The man agreed to collect the waste and correctly dispose of it at a local recycling centre, while accepting a £1,000 fly-tipping fine.

Gordon Bambridge, executive member for waste and environment at Breckland Council, said: “If someone is offering a cut-price service online or makes an unsolicited visit to your home offering cheap waste collection, this should be a red flag to triple check if this is a legitimate and licenced business.

“Always get a receipt listing what waste has been taken and where it is being legally disposed, check if they have a waste carriers’ licence and keep the business contact information.

“By following this advice, it will not only help stop rogue traders from operating in our community, but ultimately reduce fly tipping incidents across Norfolk.”