Two women have been handed a total of £1200 in fines after rubbish was dumped in villages in Stafford Borough.

And a senior councillor is warning residents to make sure that their rubbish is disposed of properly to avoid being hit in the pocket.

An old mattress, curtain rods and cardboard boxes were part of rubbish dumped off a layby on the A519 at Hanchurch in the north of the borough. It was traced to a woman from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire who claimed she paid £150 cash to the driver of a removal company she had hired to help with a house move.

And in a separate case several black bin bags of household waste were scattered in fields in the village of Cotwalton in the Stone area. A woman from Meir, Stoke-on-Trent said she gave £60 to a man in a pickup who had knocked on her door offering to remove the rubbish for her.

Enquiries are still ongoing to find the drivers of both fly tipping incidents which took place over the last few weeks.

The women were given fixed penalty notices of £600 for failing to ensure their waste was disposed of properly - an offence under household duty of care regulations.

Councillor Ian Fordham, Cabinet Member for Environment at the Borough Council, repeated his warning for residents to ensure those offering to remove waste were registered to do so.

Tips to avoid breaking the law are:

1. Always check credentials of people offering to take rubbish environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
2. Ask where they are going to dispose of the waste
3. Always get a receipt

And for more information www.staffordbc.gov.uk/alternative-waste-collectors

Councillor Fordham, said: “Fly tipping, littering and other environmental crimes are a blight on our communities. They can cause environmental damage, they attract anti-social behaviour, make areas look untidy, and have an adverse impact on the quality of life for our residents. And our residents are disgusted when people fly tip in their community.

“It may seem like a cheap alternative paying someone to get rid of your rubbish - but if they are not a registered waste carrier then you leave yourself open to a fine or even prosecution.”

He added: “I'd also urge anyone with information on people who are carrying out fly tipping to report it to us as we will always pursue those intent on rubbishing our borough.”

For more details on reporting environmental crimes go to www.staffordbc.gov.uk/grime-watch

Press Release No 6254