A rogue waste carrier from Croydon has been fined £1000 for dumping material in a travellers’ camp.

Rakesh Vyas, 55, of Purley Way, pleaded guilty at High Wycombe magistrates’ court on January 9 to failing his duty of care in relation to waste dumped at an illegal encampment in Slough.

An investigator from the waste partnership for Buckinghamshire traced deposits of waste dumped in a swimming pool at a private property to work carried out by Vyas at a house in Sutton.

South Bucks District Council Cabinet Member for Environment Luisa Sullivan, speaking on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: "Once again a tradesperson ends up with a criminal conviction because a rogue waste carrier dumped their waste illegally.

"If you are disposing of commercial waste, it is your legal duty to find out whether a carrier is licensed and to record the transaction properly.

“If you let the carrier remain anonymous by handing over cash without paperwork, it's much easier for them to fly tip with impunity - and it's you who'll end up in court."

Vyas was interviewed at the offices of the London Borough of Croydon.

He denied dumping the waste but did admit that it had come from work he had carried out as a sole trader on a house extension at Sutton, claiming that he had not personally been on site, but that he had arranged for a waste carrier to pick waste up and that he had left money for payment.

Vyas provided two telephone numbers for the waste carrier who he knew only as ‘Michael’.

He said he paid Michael £210 in cash. Vyas acknowledged at interview that even if Michael could be found, there would be no evidence to prove any connection with the waste as no record of the transaction had been kept.

When sentencing, the Magistrates took into account the fact that Vyas had been declared bankrupt. He was fined £200 for failure in his duty of care over the waste and ordered to pay £840 towards clean-up costs.

A victim surcharge of £30 was also ordered against his company - making a total to pay of £1,070.