The investigation of a fly tip in a beauty spot between Buriton and Chalton has led to a man paying more than £330 in fines and court costs.

In September 2021 building waste, garden cuttings, bags of rubbish and an old sofa were dumped on a rural track off New Barn Lane.

An East Hampshire District Council investigation discovered some of the waste had been collected by Owen Fletcher, of Havant.

Investigators also discovered it came from a household in Locks Heath.

Fletcher, who was the director of Quality Waste Ltd, was paid £80 to take a sofa and boxes after advertising his services through Facebook.

Fletcher did not have a waste carriers’ licence and admitted collecting the load without producing a receipt or waste transfer note.

At Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on November 29, he pleaded guilty under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 of failure in his duty of care.

He was fined £200 with a £100 contribution to costs and a £34 victim’s surcharge.

Cllr Angela Glass, EHDC’s regulation and enforcement portfolio holder, said: “Householders have a legal responsibility to ensure the items they are disposing of are passed to a licensed waste carrier and to obtain a waste transfer note.

“Failure to make proper checks could lead to householders being fined or taken to court if their waste is later found fly tipped.”

Rural New Barn Lane, and the isolated tracks off it, have been the scene of unrelated fly tips for years.

Rubbish illegally dumped in the picturesque area was found in February 2020, October 2021 and January this year.

It is inside the South Downs National Park with views across the South Downs and its beautiful countryside.

To check if a waste carrier is properly licensed and find out more about fly tipping, visit the Hampshire County Council website at https://www.hants.gov.uk/fly-tipping