BUNGLING workmen who dumped building waste just 400 yards away from the property they were working on have been fined more than £4,000.

Dave Gooderham

BUNGLING workmen who dumped building waste just 400 yards away from the property they were working at have been fined more than £4,000.

Ron Heather and John Jenkinson were spared a prison term but labelled naïve by council chiefs after they were caught out by the eagle-eyed homeowner in Nowton, near Bury St Edmunds.

The pair had initially denied the offence and claimed they had disposed of the household waste in an appropriate manner.

But as the net closed in, the men admitted three offences connected with fly-tipping and were ordered to pay more than £2,000 each by magistrates yesterday.

Officials at St Edmundsbury Borough Council said they were pleased with the outcome and warned that such crime would not be tolerated.

Waste enforcement officer Andrew Harvey said: “We are happy with the verdict and hopefully this will send out the right message. We would like to thank the homeowner as we rely on the public to be the eyes and ears of the council especially when fly tipping occurs in such a remote location.”

Magistrates at Bury heard that Heather, 56, of Centaur Way, Maldon, and Jenkinson, 57, of Mulberry Gardens, Witham, had worked as sub-contractors on a property in Coopers Lane, Nowton, in August last year.

The pair were employed to fix a kitchen roof and included in the costs was £50 for the disposal of any rubbish at an approved site.

But the men decided to dump a large canvas bag full of waste in the entrance to a bridleway - just a quarter of mile from the property owned by Alan Rogers.

It was only when Mr Rogers was walking his dogs that he recognised the canvas bag and contacted the council. An investigation was launched and council chiefs used evidence within the rubbish - including an old parking ticket and a supermarket receipt - to trace the crime back to Heather and Jenkinson.

Clare Dawson, prosecuting on behalf of the borough council, said: “The defendants declined to attend an interview under caution and in an interview by letter, they didn't admit any wrongdoing.

“They failed to provide any evidence that they had transferred the waste to an authorised site and it is our case that they did not take reasonable steps to transfer the waste appropriately.”

In a letter to the court, Jenkinson said he was deeply ashamed by his actions which had forced him to lose work. Both men, who did not attend yesterday's sentencing, were fined a total of £1,500 each and were each ordered to pay £552.50 prosecution costs.