Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

There is a clear message being sent to fly tippers.

Wiltshire Council is sending out a clear message that illegal dumping of waste will not be tolerated with its second successful prosecution in under a fortnight.

Following the prosecution of John Thompson of Warminster Road, Westbury, who pleased guilty at Chippenham Magistrates on June 2 to failing in his duty of care when disposing waste, another Wiltshire trader has been fined for a similar offence.

Seamus Hynes of Penhill, Swindon pleaded guilty at Chippenham Magistrates on June 10 for failing to dispose of waste properly as required by Section 34 (Duty of Care) of the Environmental Protection Act (1990).

In April 2010 Mr Hynes, who traded under the name of Shameless Removals, was employed by a Swindon based property developer to remove waste from a property being built in the town.

When this waste was discovered on the Ridgeway at Ogbourne St George, Wiltshire Council officers were able to trace the waste back to the property developer who subsequently led officers to Shameless Removals.

Hynes told the court that after collecting the waste from the property he lent his vehicle to a friend and that when the vehicle was returned to him the waste was no longer on the vehicle.

Hynes was ordered to pay a compensation order of £300 to Wiltshire Council and costs of £500.

Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for enforcement, Dick Tonge said: 'This is another wake up call to those who dispose of waste illegally. If they continue to dump waste we will catch them.

'People who dump rubbish are subsidising their income to the cost of everybody else in the county, taking valuable resources away from other services. This is absolutely unacceptable and Wiltshire Council will not tolerate it. We will always investigate fly tipped rubbish and for as long as people dump rubbish we will continue to prosecute them.'

Wiltshire Council encourages all businesses to check their duty of care obligations for their commercial waste at www.netregs.gov.uk