A Mitcham man was fined £1,980 and received a six-month driving ban after dumping waste on Epsom Common.

Lee Nicholson, 35, of McRae Lane in Mitcham, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping charges at Guildford Magistrates' Court on January 8.

Bags of rubble, plasterboard, insulation, a mattress, a bed, fluorescent light tubes, office equipment (including a fax machine and printer cartridges) and various bagged and loose rubbish were among the odds and ends.

The waste was discovered in March 2017 and the fly tipped material had to be cleared from the nature reserve at the expense of Council Tax payers.

Fortunately the office rubbish included items with an address from which council investigators were able to track back to the origin of the waste.

The originator was shocked that the material had been disposed of illegally, having paid for the disposal in good faith, and supplied the council with the telephone number for the person used for the disposal.

As well as the fine, Nicholson received a driving ban for six months to prevent further offending.

A spokesman for Epsom & Ewell Borough Council said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on neighbourhoods and we will take action against perpetrators.

“Individuals and businesses should always check that whoever they get to clear waste is licensed and should obtain a waste transfer note.

“We urge anyone who witnesses fly-tipping to help us catch these criminals by giving us as much information as possible via our website.”