A Wiltshire man has been fined and slapped with a criminal record after he was caught chucking rubbish into bushes.

Matthew Pike, of Anzio Road, in Devizes was hit with over £500 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to fly-tipping on Friday, April 12, at Swindon Magistrates' Court.

Pike admitted discarding items from his property over the back of the railings of a shared car park, into some nearby bushes.

The items included shopping trolleys, bicycle frames, bicycle tyres, car tyres, and wooden planks.

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The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The dumped items The dumped items (Image: Wiltshire Council)

Cllr Nick Holder, cabinet member for highways, street scene and flooding, said: “No matter where fly-tipping takes place in our beautiful county, we will take action against anyone who dumps waste in Wiltshire, and we will use all powers available to us to fine and prosecute people.

“In the case of the Devizes resident, he had every opportunity to pay the fixed penalty notice we issued, but chose not to and instead now has a bigger fine and a criminal record.

"We are focused on tackling fly-tipping in Wiltshire, and as part of our business plan commitment and our award-winning We're Targeting Fly-tippers (WTF) campaign, we have invested an extra £150,000 a year into tackling environmental crime.

“I’d like to thank the people that reported these fly-tipping incidents to us.

“Anyone who spots fly-tipping in Wiltshire should report it to us using MyWilts and we will investigate and take action.”

He was prosecuted after a member of the public witnessed the incident and reported him to Wiltshire Council.  

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Pike was invited to several interviews under caution but failed to attend.

After he failed to pay a fixed penalty notice issued by the council, environmental enforcement officers commenced prosecution proceedings against him.

The witness who reported Pike has been rewarded with a £100 high street voucher through the council’s We're Targeting Fly-tippers campaign.

Since the reward programme began in 2019, 25 rewards have been handed out to those who provided witness statements leading to fixed penalty notices or prosecutions.

Elsewhere in the county, a Trowbridge woman was issued a £400 fine for fly-tipping waste in a layby on Deep Lane, Corsley, near Warminster.

Meanwhile a Ludgershall man was also given a £400 fine after he claimed he paid an unlicensed waste carrier to take away his rubbish.

The black bags were later found fly-tipped in a residential area in Ludgershall.