A FLYTIPPER from Eastleigh has been fined after being traced by his name and address on one of the cardboard boxes he dumped at a beauty spot.

Jason Porter, 26, claimed the queue at his local tip, two miles from his home, was too long, so he made a 14-mile round trip to Farley Mount, near Winchester, where he left his rubbish in a car park.

After the hearing at Eastleigh Magistrates' Court, Porter, of Southampton Road, Eastleigh, told the Daily Echo: "It had my name and address on it - it was a bit of a silly thing to do but it was on one of my boxes. I couldn't believe it."

The household waste was found by a countryside ranger at Farley Mount, who informed the environment Agency.

The agency traced the rubbish to Porter, who told the court the queue at the tip in Woodside Avenue, Eastleigh, was too long and that he had been "lazy" and "stupid".

Ordering Porter to pay a £100 fine and £200 costs, the magistrates said there had obviously been some intent as the tip was nearby, while Farley Mount was several miles away.

Unemployed Porter said: "There's abso-lutely huge queues outside that place.

"I feel sorry about it and I regret it because I do honestly think it was a stupid thing to do. I was just clearing out some rubbish and stuff from the house, some tiles and that."

"I was pretty annoyed because it was about a year later that they wrote to me, so I was a bit surprised when I got the letter about it. Then I wrote a letter apologising for what I'd done, offering to pay for the costs but they took me to court anyway.

"It's the only time I've ever done it."

Tony Johnston, environmental protection officer for Hampshire, said: "This is a clear warning to members of the public that fly-tipping will not be tolerated. It is not just companies being prosecuted, if you dump rubbish illegally you will be taken to court. Not only is rubbish unsightly and unpleasant for everyone else, it also damages the environment."