BRENTWOOD Borough Council has imposed a new clampdown on flytipping, by doubling the fine it imposes on offenders.

The council’s environment committee voted unanimously to hike fines to £400, to help deter small scale fly-tipping, at a meeting last Wednesday night.

Tory councillor Chris Hossack, chair of the committee, is hopeful the move will help curb a ‘big problem’ within the borough. Speaking after the meet - ing, he said: “We decided to bring the fine in line with what the government recommends.

“Nobody likes fly-tipping, nobody likes seeing garbage discarded in our borough.

“It has become quite a big problem to be honest. It’s costing tens of thousands of pounds each year to deal with fly-tipped loads, and we as a council need to find ways to claim that money back.”

Mr Hossack feels Brentwood’s rural roads being in close proximity to London makes it a prime site for illegal fly-tipping.

In a bid to combat the problem, he announced the council is ramping up investment in hidden mobile CCTV cameras.

He added: “It makes sense, the cost of a camera is less than a clear up.”

Meanwhile, a 26-year-old Brentwood man was caught and fined for fly-tipping after an address found among the garbage led the authorities to him.

Martin Rowe, of Greenfields Close, was fined and ordered to pay costs to the tune of £1,227 at Chelmsford Magistrates Court this month.

Last May a large fly-tip of cupboards, bed frames, a mattress, carpetand other household waste was found on a bridle path at Old Barns Lane, Blackmore.

Chelmsford City Council (CCC) officers, who inspected the rubbish, found packaging and documents with an address in Brentwood, which led them to Rowe’s ex-girlfriend.

As part of the investigation, a mother and daughter were interviewed under caution.

During the interview, the daughter indicated she had given £20 to Rowe, her ex-partner, to dispose of the waste legally.

Rowe was also interviewed, and claimed after removing the rubbish from the property, he gave it to a rag-and-bone man who took it away, but did not have details for the person he handed the waste.

He pleaded guilty to environmental protection offences – a duty of care – and was fined £770 on Thursday June 9.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £180, compensation of £200 and a victim surcharge of £77.

Councillor Ian Grundy, CCC cabinet member for communities, said: “Giving waste to a rag-and-bone man and paying them in cash may seem like an easy, convenient way to dispose of your rubbish, but there can be hidden costs.

“The Waste Regulations 2005 make householders legally responsible for ensuring their rubbish is only passed on to an authorised person for disposal.

“If you don’t check that they are a registered waste carrier, you still have a duty of care and may find yourself fined up to £5,000 for their fly-tipping.”