£3,500 fine for man who dumped 'urine-soaked' mattress on Aston Clinton bypass

The court heard that Mr Iqbal had picked up a large amount of furniture, including a sofa and a number of mattresses, with his van from a house belonging to a family member in Aylesbury.

He was then witnessed by a passing motorist dumping the items in the layby. The motorist took down the registration number of the van, and reported the incident to Buckinghamshire County Council enforcement department.

Mr Iqbal was traced and fully admitted to dumping the waste in interview, saying that he wanted rid of it as it was urine-soaked and smelt unpleasant.

The Magistrates fined Mr Iqbal £2,307, and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £1,265 making a total to pay of £3,572. They ordered the full amount should be paid within two months.

Aylesbury Vale District Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure Cllr Paul Irwin, speaking on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: "It's astonishing that this person could decide to simply unload their waste at the side of the road. However, his successful prosecution demonstrates the essential role the public can play in getting such people to justice."

The case was prosecuted by Buckinghamshire County Council working on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire. The Waste Partnership launched the SCRAP Fly Tipping campaign in August 2018 to combat illegal dumping and waste management offences in Buckinghamshire.

Since 2003 the Partnership has secured over 690 convictions against individuals and companies for illegal dumping and related offences. On average since April 2010, there has been at least one conviction per week for illegal dumping offences in Buckinghamshire. This resulted in a halving of reported incidents and a significant saving to the Buckinghamshire tax payer over the period, principally through reducing removal and disposal costs.

Illegal dumping can be reported at www.fixmystreet.buckscc.gov.uk.