A SOUTHAMPTON man has been ordered to pay more than £500 after dumping cardboard boxes in a city layby.

Reece Marshall of Lower Brownhill Road admitted leaving the waste in a layby along Station Road in Nursling.

This came after the waste was discovered in August last year by a Test Valley Borough Council street cleaner.

The cleaner reported the fly-tipped items and after viewing CCTV nearby, Marshall's vehicle was spotted driving past the area full of boxes and pulling into a layby.

Minutes later, the vehicle left, but the boxes remained.

After failing to attend an interview under caution, TVBC began prosecution proceedings, leaving the court to fine him £200 and ordering costs of £300 and a £34 victim surcharge to be paid.

In court, Marshall apologised for fly-tipping the waste, which could have been collected for free fortnightly in recycling.

Appearing at Southampton Magistrates Court, he was ordered to pay a total of £584.

Environmental portfolio holder, councillor Alison Johnston, said: “What makes this particular fly-tip even worse is that, free of charge, this cardboard could have simply been collected as part of our usual recycling collections.

“Instead, this was shamelessly dumped in the south of the borough, leaving our staff to have to spend time out of their day collecting it and cleaning up the layby.

"Thankfully, the person responsible has now been found and made to pay for their act."