UTTLESFORD District Council has prosecuted a builder whose truck got stuck in mud when he tried to illegally dump waste in a farmer’s field.

Adrian Brace was arrested by police after being spotted by the farmer in his field in Farnham, near Stansted Mountfitchet. He had broken a padlock on a gate to get into the field with the intention of depositing rubble in the field – but then found his truck bogged down in mud and unable to move.

He was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and the dumping of waste and issued with a fixed penalty notice.

Police then passed details of the offence on to Uttlesford District Council’s enforcement team who began court proceedings against Brace for illegal flytipping after he failed to attend an interview.

Last week at Harlow Magistrates Court, Brace, of Black Notley, was fined �100 and ordered to pay �250 costs and a �15 victim surcharge.

This is the latest successful prosecution for the council.

Last month, Louise White of Stansted admitted failing her duty of care to her household waste and fined �50 plus �20 costs and a �15 victim surcharge after admitting dumping six bin bags of waste along with other items including old carpets and parts of vacuum cleaners in Snakes Lane, Stansted.

She was tracked down after council enforcement officers found items including old council tax bills, a car log book and utilities receipts among the waste in the bags.

And another Stansted resident was issued with a formal warning and asked to pay �73 costs after four bags of rubbish were found dumped in Pennington lane in Stansted following a tip-off from the parish council.

Chairman of the district council’s environment committee Cllr Susan Barker said: “These successes show we are determined to continue our crack down on environmental crime.

“Flytipping is an offence and should never to tolerated. There are proper ways to dispose of waste that do not spoil our beautiful district for others. I hope these outcomes serve as a warning to others.”