A businessman has been left with a £675 bill after waste he was responsible in disposing of was found illegally dumped on a bypass.

Eastern Daily Press: A council sign, warning fly-tippers will be prosecuted. Picture: Chris BishopA council sign, warning fly-tippers will be prosecuted. Picture: Chris Bishop (Image: Archant)

Mahir Kocaslan, of N-Joy Bar, Norfolk Street, King's Lynn, had paid someone with a van to take the waste to the tip, he learned subsequently that it had been fly-tipped in January 2017 just off the Dersingham bypass.

West Norfolk council said he accepted that this was his responsibility and arranged for the land to be cleared.

He appeared in King's Lynn Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, April 4 where he pleaded guilty to failure to produce Duty of Care Documentation under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste Regulations 2011.

The council said Kocaslan had failed to pay the original fixed penalty notice for this incident despite being given extensions to pay. His failure to produce his duty of care documentation or to pay the fine led to this prosecution.

He received a fine of £500, plus a victim surcharge of £50 and was ordered to pay £125 towards prosecution costs.

Business are being urged to making the necessary checks when using waste carriers to dispose of waste.

Councillor Ian Devereux, borough council cabinet member for environment, said: 'Everyone has a responsibility to dispose of their waste correctly.

'Householders and business operators alike should always ask to see a waste carrier's licence before allowing them to take any waste away.'

In a bid to crackdown on fly-tipping, the council introduced plans to impose a £200 fixed penalty fine to people who dumped waste illegally in West Norfolk.

New environmental laws brought in 2016 give councils the power to charge offenders up to £400 for 'small scale fly-tipping'.

Figures released by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that in 2015-16 there were more than 100,000 incidents of fly-tipping across the East Anglia region.

To check that someone is an authorised waste carrier visit the public register on the Environment Agency's website at environment.data.gov.uk/public-register.