A SOUTHAMPTON man who dumped roofing material on a countryside path has been slapped with a huge fine.

Test Valley Borough Council launched an investigation after the waste was spotted along Station Road, Nursling - part of the Test Way - in October 2019.

The rubbish consisted of wood, panels, planks and roofing materials, as well as a fire extinguisher.

After looking at evidence, council officers discovered the vehicle involved was being driven by 48-year-old Carl Dukes, of Arnheim Road, Lordswood.

He was arrested and brought before the court having failed to appear at the original hearing in 2020.

Daily Echo: The rubbish dumped by Mr Dukes on the Test Way

Mr Dukes claimed that his boss had told him to leave the waste there after he started to have trouble with his vehicle. However, no evidence of this was presented.

At Southampton Magistrates Court, he was fined £1,107, ordered to pay £1,047.50 in costs and a £111 victim surcharge.

Cllr Nick Adams-King said: “There is no excuse for leaving your waste by the side of the road – it doesn’t matter how long it is for. There are proper ways for rubbish, be it personal or commercial, to be disposed of and if you ignore them, then you risk a day in court and a sizeable bill to pay as a result.

"I’m extremely grateful for the hard work that our environmental service and legal officers have put in to ensure the person responsible has been made to pay, and it hasn’t been left to the taxpayer to foot the bill.”