A fly-tipper was caught dumping piles of rubbish on a quiet country road after a dog walker using a drone filmed him in the act.
Finlay Hennessy was recorded unloading waste from his Ford Transit van onto a verge.
The dog walker was out with his two young children near Barley Mow Lane, St Albans, Herts, when he spotted Hennessy dumping the contents of a house clearance.
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After emptying the van, Hennessy calmly drove away – apparently unaware he had been filmed.
The footage captured the vehicle’s registration number, allowing St Albans City and District Council’s environmental enforcement team to identify him, as reported by Need To Know.
Hennessy, of Tyttenhanger Green, just a few hundred yards from the scene, admitted fly-tipping and carrying controlled waste in a vehicle without a licence at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on 5 November.
He was ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and pay £821, including £307 compensation towards the clean-up, £400 towards the council’s legal costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
The dumped rubbish included soiled mattresses, toys, clothes, photographs, children’s books and general household waste.
Investigators traced some of the waste to a property in Hemel Hempstead. The householder said they had paid Hennessy to dispose of it after contacting him in response to a leaflet offering a clearance service.
However, they had failed to check whether he held a waste carrier’s licence and accepted a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice for breaching their duty of care.
Councillor Edgar Hill, the council’s lead for fly-tipping, thanked the dog walker and his children for reporting the offence and providing the drone footage.
He said: “Our thanks go to the dog walker and his children for spotting this offender and doing the right thing by reporting him. They also provided the crucial drone evidence.
“We have regularly issued appeals to the public to help us combat fly-tipping by letting us know of any information they may have. This is an example of what can happen when they do.
“We hope this successful prosecution will act as a deterrent for anyone thinking of dumping waste illegally. You never know who is watching.
“Fly-tips are not only a criminal offence, but they are also a potential health hazard, a blot on the landscape and are costly to clear up. There is no excuse not to dispose of waste safely and legally.”
The council said it had brought four prosecutions for fly-tipping this year and issued 32 Fixed Penalty Notices. It has also increased the maximum fine from £1,000 to £3,000.
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